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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24356683">Road Trip</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SfrogPlus/pseuds/SfrogPlus'>SfrogPlus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gifts For Some Neat People [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gift fic for a cool person, HOPE BAGELS, Help, I wrote this while watching horror games, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, Komaeda is what this is based upon and his childhood house, Komaeda was rich before his parents died, Live As We Know It, M/M, Memes, Never Have I Ever Written A Self Fic, POV Multiple, Rice I swear if you spam me with comments again-, Road Trips, Scary Mansions, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Sfrog+ is me :P, Supernatural - Freeform, The tags are confuzzling you I bet, This is to test how big brain you are, apple sauce, horror but not really, jk I don't care, this is long</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:27:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,853</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24356683</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SfrogPlus/pseuds/SfrogPlus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span>“A road trip?” Amami raises an eyebrow, and R agrees. As much as that would pique her curiosity, she was pretty sure that it wasn’t normal for people who met a month ago to have a road trip together. </span>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <br/>
    <span>But then again, that did kinda sound amusing…</span>
    <br/>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>Or: <em>R, Sfrog+, Rantaro, Kokichi, Nagito, Byakuya go on a road trip to Nagito's childhood house and some freaky shit goes down like the world is ending.</em></p><p>So I wrote a gift fic for<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/deleteitimphat/pseuds/deleteitimphat"> deleteitimphat</a>. Hope you're happy now, I just wrote my longest one shot and my first horror story (Not really) for you. Now I have to go shower and do other stuff, and you probably not even awake when I'm doing this. Hope to see your reaction! :3</p><p>(Side note: I know some people don't enjoy reading self-insert with characters in the game, and two of the main characters are self-inserts or rather original characters. So you don't have to read if you don't like these!)</p><p> </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito (implied), Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya (implied), Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi (Implied)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gifts For Some Neat People [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741915</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Road Trip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/deleteitimphat/gifts">deleteitimphat</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, I'll go over some things you guys should know if you did decide to read:</p><ol>
<li>Sfrog+ is me and R is deleteitimphat! So please don't hate me- But yeah, Sfrog+ does not have any mental illness or anything crazy like that, she just has an imaginary friend, I guess, that she talks to and that is <em>him</em>.</li>
<li>They all are going to High School but no despair. The Danganronpa 1 is in their 3rd year, Super Danganronpa 2 is in their second year (Hinata is in the reserve course), and Danganronpa V3 is in their first year, R being in 1st year and Sfrog+ being in their last year of middle school.</li>
<li>Komaeda does not hate Hinata, as he met him in his first year and helped Komaeda a lot, and they have a small awkward friendship. Chiaki and Hinata are close friends. Saihara and Ouma are part friends, part liar, and detective to each other, where they have more of a playful joking friendship. And Byakuya And Egg? Bruh it's implied, they have been friends since 2nd year and also close friends with Kiririririgiri. They may or may not be dating. </li>
<li>Amami is alone, and smokes weed- I'm just kidding, jk, jk, he doesn't smoke weed.</li>
<li>If you want an example of Mr.Cat, here: <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=long+skinny+monster&amp;tbm=isch&amp;rlz=1C1EJFA_enUS828US828&amp;hl=en&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjg-5q44MvpAhX7BDQIHb6BCA4QBXoECAEQKA&amp;biw=940&amp;bih=924#imgrc=CeE1pkzqe7UKGM">Mr.Cat</a>. I love Mr.Cat, don't know about you.</li>
<li>R and Sfrog+ are roommates. Komaeda and Ouma are roommates. Byakuya lives in his own house and has his butler drive him to school. And Amami rooms with Keebo, because nobody wanted to room with Keebo and Amami was the only one left.</li>
<li>Komaeda's parents were rich.</li>
<li>R is British, Sfrog+ is American, but they can both speak Japanese.
</li>
<li>The ships are only implied and don't show up at all so if you came here for the romance, sorry to inform you but, there's not a lot.</li>
</ol>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>
  <em>June 29th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 7:12 PM </em>
</p><p>“A road trip?” Amami raises an eyebrow, and R agrees. As much as that would pique her curiosity, she was pretty sure that it wasn’t normal for people who met a month ago to have a road trip together. <em> But then again, that did kinda sound amusing… </em></p><p>“I’m down for that as long as Byakuya’s down for it. He’s my bank. My money pig. My savings account. My wallet. My… daddy?” R says, thinking to herself for a moment. “You know what- Don’t comment on that.” Nobody did, but Ouma did poke her on the cheek and kept on poking. Poking. Poking until R hissed at Ouma. “<em> Bruh. </em>”</p><p>“Are you<em> really</em> sure you would want to go with someone like me?” Komaeda asked, widening his empty eyes, a small frown on his face. Everything that guy did scare R a little, but then again, being jump scared in real life scared her, and Komaeda was much worse than that.</p><p>Sfrog+ laughed- She <em>laughed at</em> that. “That’s gay.” Komaeda giggled.</p><p>“You’re gay,” Ouma unnecessarily refuted, even though he wasn’t part of the conversation. R would join in if she wasn’t waiting for Byakuya to come back with the pizza. Even though he repudiated them most of the time, today, he seemed, particularly in a good mood. <em> Free things are to be. To be, the best. </em></p><p>“If I was gay, I wouldn’t be hanging out with you LOSERS, and I’d be hanging around with the girls,” Sfrog+ said, one eye shut and leaning on the hand on her hip. “Well- not like I like any of you. You all look like twinks and Amami looks like he’s a playboy. Except for R. R’s fine. And<em> him </em>.” She turns to whoever is next to her, no one.</p><p>“I’d smash Saihara.” Ouma nodded rather seriously.</p><p>“What are we doing now? Playing Smash or pass?” Amami laughed, crossing his legs. He leaned back into the couch and shut his eyes. “Just tell us what you mean by a road trip, Frog.” Sfrog+ didn’t respond to that name.</p><p>“I’d smash that kudos button on my own fic if I could.” R shrugged, “Don’t know about you guys… Actually, Sfrog+, don’t you have that daily fic you do? Aren’t you supposed to update that?” </p><p>“Uh-” Sfrog+ glances away, “Back to the road trip. Um, let’s wait until Byakuya comes back.” Sfrog+ awkwardly laughs as she starts going to the other room in Sfrog+ and R’s dorms, probably to her bed to get something.</p><p>“Can’t you guys just drop those fanfiction stories of yours?” Ouma asked, apathetic and his eyes on his nails. Painted purple, at Amami’s fault. R’s got her own, done skin color. Because that freaks people out. Sfrog+ got matching, and now the freaking out <em> doubled </em>.</p><p>Komaeda looked at him with a baffled look. “Why would you want them to stop what they’re talented at? There- Ouma, <em> please </em>, that’s like telling Saihara he can’t solve cases, like telling Hanamaru that he can’t cook, telling Iruma- All these hopeful people they can’t..!” He looks deeply invested to argue a fight that wasn’t his, but R wasn’t one to complain.</p><p>“Komaeda anger.” R thought out loud, resting her head on the pillow. Kokichi was about to jab at R’s cheek some more before R glared at him, and his stupid innocent purple eyes, trying to appear like he wasn’t doing anything wrong.</p><p>“Komaeda anger,” Amami repeated dryly, chuckling right after. “By the way, Byakuya texted me a couple of minutes ago he was-” A loud knock on the door, quickly growing impatient. R could hear the shuffling of Sfrog+ from the other side of the wall.</p><p>“Byakuya-chan has the key though.” Ouma furrowed his eyebrows for a moment.” Oh- Oh my fucking god, did he actually forget?” Ouma burst out laughing, his horse-like laugh echoing in the house. It immediately stopped when Byakuya slammed the door open, carrying the boxes of pizza.</p><p>His glasses matched his stiff posture, and R leaned over the couch, attention falling to Byakuya. Byakuya opened his mouth, and everyone knew sour words were to spill out. “R, hurry up and help me, you vermin.”</p><p>“Okay, daddy- Oh crap, I mean wallet- Um-” R nodded, jumping over the couch and neatly lading on her feet. Byakuya scowled at R, and then Ouma said that, and then Sfrog+ came out of her bedroom and peeked out. “Hey, Byakuya. Is that..? I’ll help.”</p><p>“Don’t bully R, Ouma. They’re older than you. Respect the elders.” Amami told him, lightly tapping his head. Ouma’s reaction though, was rather amusing, at least to R. Nobody cared much that literal fountains of water spilled from his eyes like a crappy story collab that Sfrog+ and R totally doesn’t write about.</p><p>“Actually, I’m younger than you. Or rather, in the same year as you.” R piped up, “And so is Sfrog+. Do I look that old? Am I really that..?”</p><p>“Ye.” Sfrog+ adds.</p><p>“Of course you’ll help. That’s to be expected.” Byakuya crossed his arms as Sfrog+ went to grab the boxes, tripping a little before she set it down on the table. “God- didn’t I tell you five to clean up this stupid house!? It’s such a mess… Ugh, fine. I’ll deal with it. <em> But only for now </em>.” </p><p>R looked around the room. Sfrog+ and R forced each other to clean most of the time, and they cleaned just after school on Monday before Ouma lockpicked in with Amami and Komaeda following after. Sfrog+ placed hidden memes around the room sometimes and R placed pillows they thought were pretty cool around. They even had a nice carpet on the floor and a matching couch.</p><p>“You’re totes <em> right </em>, Byakuya-chan! This room is a mess- I mean, how can they even live here?” Ouma, the liar, agreed. Ouma, the liar, then proceeded to open up the pizza box. A pizza with all toppings. Ouma then-</p><p>“Aren’t you thankful for breaking into the place.” R said sharply, getting the box below with only pepperoni toppings. Sfrog+ and R were probably the only ones that liked these ones better. “Hey- Wait, stop, oh my fucking god, I’m going to sue you if you take off all the toppings but the pineapples-”</p><p>“Watch, Komaeda-chan. I’m ruining this whole man’s career.” Ouma snorted, dropping all the toppings into the box. Komaeda hesitated to grab one, but after Byakuya hurried him, he did. And he almost dropped it. R was a little surprised his luck hasn’t acted up yet, but she didn’t want to jinx it. “Hey, do you guys have any Panta I can use to add on the pizza?”</p><p>“˙sǝ⅄- I’m kidding, please don’t murder me, Ouma-” R panics.</p><p>Byakuya grumpily sat down, muttering something about germs from the couch, and his esteemed mouth wouldn’t eat “<em> common </em>” food.</p><p>“Use a plate, all of you.” Amami ordered, “And Sfrog+, you were saying something about a road trip with all of us? What’s this about all of a sudden?” R quickly provided them plastic plates and sat back down on the floor next to Ouma and Komaeda. Sfrog+ sat on the opposite side, where she was looking at everyone else on the couch.</p><p>“Huh?” In return, she gave him a rather blank look, eyes not looking away as she took a bite of her pizza, all pepperoni-ed. R suddenly remembers one point in time when she talks about pepperonis being human fingers- Suddenly, R loses their appetite.</p><p>“Are you okay in the head, Sfrog+? Do you need me to scream in your ears?” R worried, reaching over the table. Sfrog+ shifted away and stood up. “Are you finally going insane? After all these years, I knew it was approaching.” She sighed. </p><p>“Do you- Are you- You were saying something about a road trip. I’m rather interested in it as that would make an adventure quite fun. With my adventuring skills, Byakuya’s money, Komaeda’s luck-” Komaeda could argue, but that wouldn’t stop Amami from talking, nor R from listening. “And it could help motivate you two to write, and- Ouma, I’m not really sure what he would do, but he would be there.”</p><p>“A road trip? That’s a good idea, Amami. I would have <em> never </em>thought of that.” Sfrog+ said, raising her pizza. “To Amami’s lousy brain!” Amami tilted his head as the others raised their pizza as well, repeating her words. Amami’s lousy brain it was, and they went on a road trip.</p><p>Ouma started where they should go, perhaps to outer space, and go on a mission, but they quickly denied that. Amami recommended some places, but they were out somewhere in the jungle, but Byakuya wouldn’t enjoy that and Sfrog+ complained that would be weird for here. Byakuya wouldn’t recommend anything and Sfrog+ would pretend not to know what they were talking about, making Ouma follow her example as well. Komaeda wouldn’t say anything because he went, “Me? Oh no- I couldn’t possibly say something this important for such hopeful people like yourselves.”</p><p>So then it was up to R, and oh boy were they about to throw all these jerks she calls as her friends off the cliff. And so they went to- Fucking Komaeda made the decision in the end.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 5th, Friday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 12:29 AM </em>
</p><p> “Uh-” Sfrog+ pauses, “I think I saw the wall move. Komaeda, the wall moved. Komaeda, the fucking wall moved why aren’t you responding-” She was talking a little too quick, and almost tripped over when the two front doors, encrusted with strange patterns opened. R wasn’t sure whether to take that as a joke or not. There, a woman stiffly smiled at them.</p><p>R glanced over to where she was looking, but nothing was particularly out of order. Just an everyday, average wall.</p><p>“Master Komaeda, welcome back home.” She nodded, a blank look on her face.</p><p>In the end, Komaeda made the decision of where they should go because nobody was reliable enough in the end- Not like Komaeda is reliable anyway, but he was sane, sometimes. And to Komaeda’s original home they went, rusted down, with too large of a front yard, and too large of a home. Komaeda told them that there were still a few people working there, and they could rest there for the weekend. Komaeda just said he wanted to see someone there.</p><p>And who knows? If they got stuck, they wouldn’t have to go to school. </p><p>“Master!~” Ouma mocked, swinging his arms until they followed to the back of his head. “Master Komaeda, welcome home! Do you want dinner, or some food, or perhaps… me-”</p><p>“Meatloaf.” R interrupted, “I agree, Ouma. I want some meatloaf.” R was satisfied enough with the small boy’s reaction that he could handle him weakly punching- R really wished he wouldn’t play hooky with Physical Education.</p><p>“Ah- I apologize. Komaeda is exploring somewhere. He brought somebody with him though.” Amami was talking about Byakuya. Because Byakuya was a surprisingly fast runner, and he was quiet, respecting when there was a moment he shouldn’t interrupt. Sfrog+ would get lost, and R likes to be with the crowd, Ouma tends to ruin the moment by making a failed attempt at lighting a mood, and Amami- He was the big brother of the group. He couldn’t favor anyone. “Komaeda brought us here- So he’ll definitely be coming back, don’t worry. He uh, said for me to give you this.” Amami scratches his neck, handing the worker an envelope.</p><p>She elegantly opens it and her eyes widen, a small smile forms on her face and she sweeps her hair past her face. “...Thank you for giving me this. Are you hungry, boys- Oh, I apologize to you other two. I didn’t notice you. Let’s… head in, and you can wait in the library while I tell the other workers to prepare some lunch.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Sfrog+ mutters as she holds the door open, passing in. The hall was big, and dim, a little like the horror games she would force everyone else to watch because she was too scared. (R knew but she begged them not to tell anyone else.)</p><p>R smiled at the maid as she guided them all to the library. The library. It was bigger than R’s and Sfrog+’s library at their apartment. And filled with old books with rusting covers that were too worn-down to read the sides of, leaving everything to choose here from luck.</p><p>Ouma immediately began pulling books out and speed reading through them like he actually studied- amusingly enough, he still got pretty good grades, R remembers, when Ouma was showing it off. <em> It doesn’t help that I’m a literal transfer student from Britain and everything here is way too whack. </em></p><p>“Hey R, you have that look on your face when you walk into the room and see me slamming the keyboard.” Sfrog+ said, “Are you in shock because now there are three rich people in our group and then the other one is a fucking rat?” R shrugged.</p><p>“What are you talking about?” Ouma scoffed, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at her, “I’m <em> rich </em>, I’m totally rich! And that isn’t a lie. In fact, I’m so rich that I can spend all my money trying to buy everyone in the world and still not run out of money! Amazing, I know right? Now fall at my feet and bow to your holy almighty leader.”</p><p>“Calm down there, Ouma. We don’t do human trafficking here.” Amami tries to compose Ouma, sitting down, “And stop snooping, sit down next to me.” Ouma pouted, skipping to Amami, then sitting down on his lap. “Come on, get off.”</p><p>“Oh Ouma, can I sit down on your lap?” R asked, sitting down before he could answer. Sfrog+ sat next to them, looking at Amami expectantly. No reaction as Amami fell back into his chair, collapsing everyone. Sfrog+ is pretty sure that Ouma is dying in a tall person sandwich. </p><p>“Uh… I’m sorry, was I disrupting anything?” Komaeda asks, and R looks over to where he is leaning against the wall, tilting his head and crossing his arms. Byakuya stands next to him, furrowing his brows at the scene. </p><p>They see Sfrog+ look at something at the floor, and something shifted, R could see.</p><p>R uncomfortably shifts up, “No. We were just doing a bruh sandwich, why? Was that weird? Is Ouma dying- He looks fine, of course, he does.” R rubs off the imaginary dust on her shoulders and helps the others up.</p><p>“This is quite the… rustic house.” Amami smiled at Komaeda, “But why are the walls about to crumble?” R looked around again, taking it all in. Amami was right in that sense, that the walls were about to crumble. The house looked old, and they could find vines hanging around.</p><p>“That’s an understatement,” Byakuya argued, glaring at Komaeda. Komaeda only smiled back with that creepy smile of his. “This house is much too old for my liking, I should have never have gone here with you petty pests.” Petty pest, vexatious vermin, It almost was as if the list could go and on.</p><p>“Aw, I love you too Byakowo!” Ouma said, spreading his arms. Nobody went to go hug him, though Sfrog+ did rub his head with some dust she gathered. Ouma didn’t react but instead fell down solid, without moving. </p><p>“Oh, holy sh- Are you okay, Ouma?” R asked, trying to pull him back up. He didn’t respond but glanced at Sfrog+, who apologetically rubbed her arm. She pushed her glasses in before rubbing her hand- the hand with dust- on her clothes. “Ouma, are you dead? Insane? Crazy? Bashing with rock music in your head?”</p><p>“No- Of course he isn’t.” Byakuya frowned. “Ouma, get up.” Ouma groaned as he sat up defiantly, trying to rub the dust off his head. “Komaeda, why aren’t there more maids here? This place is in havoc.” Komeda rubbed his neck with his hand and shyly smiled. </p><p>“Well… Me and my family-” Komaeda started, </p><p>“<em> My family and I </em> is the correct term.” Sfrog+ corrected, “My family and I to our dark past.”</p><p>“Shut up, nerd.” R jabbed Sfrog+’s shoulder and sent her a smile, “Nerds are to stay away from spooky mansions and meant to stay home being nerds- Wait,” Her British voice echoed in the room for some reason, “Why is it echoing?” She suddenly felt so much more sarcastic. Nobody responded to the last part she said.</p><p>“Everyone here is a nerd, whether it shows or not. Byakuya’s a nerd, Ouma’s a nerd, Komaeda is a big hope nerd, Rantaro is… a <em> nerd. </em>” Sfrog+ explained with deep logic that R didn’t bother to understand.</p><p>“What’re you talkin’ about? I’m not a nerd, I’m the supreme leader of 20,000 people!” Ouma pouted, going Yankee mode on us. “Hey- wait, I think I saw somebody behind R.” Everyone looked to R, who suddenly felt much too subconscious.</p><p>“I-I know we met by saying P-Please notice me S-Senpai, but… Calm down Byakuya-kun.” R mumbled, tugging at her arm. Byakuya didn’t say anything. “Wow, no reaction? And don’t you know I was just joking, please don’t sue me and ask Kuzuryu to murder me in my sleep-”</p><p>“Uh- Did anyone see the thing, please don’t tell me only we saw it,” Sfrog+ begged, giving a worried look to the others, and then her eyes flickering back to whatever hid behind R’s soul and body. <em> We? </em> R gives Sfrog+ a strange look, but she seems more focused on what was happening behind R.</p><p>They look as if they’ve seen a ghost.</p><p>R doesn’t get the chance to look behind herself, because before she can-</p><p>The door swings open, and there is <em> that maid </em> again. The same maid that welcomed them by the door, with her blank, hollow look and hair covering half of her forehead, black hair tied up into a ponytail. Everyone turns to her, eyes a little wide and mouth almost gaping. She glances around, almost shyly, and smiles at them with a tilt of her head- </p><p>“Is there something wrong, Master Komaeda, and his dear friends?” She asks. R looks behind herself to try and see what they were looking at, but to no avail was she able to see anything other than dusty, old books with fading colors that she felt wasn’t worth looking at.</p><p>Ouma didn’t snort when she said master. <em> Is the world ending? </em></p><p>“Oh- No. I couldn’t burden you with something as small as a bad… coincidence.” Komaeda glances back at the book, “They’ve grown old, I’ve noticed. Like everything else.” He laughs at that, “Did you get lunch prepared?” </p><p>“Oh- Yes, master Komaeda. We did.” She nods, her hair falling down her face. She crosses her fingers in front of her and frowns. “I hope you still enjoy oxtail soup.” Komaeda smiles at her, as if in confirmation.</p><p>“Oxtail soup?” Ouma furrowed his brows, “Isn’t that-” R isn’t sure what he was going to say, but she didn’t really want to read too much into this. Ouma still continued, “it’s butt?-” R feels like punching him, but Byakuya flicked him in the forehead and then rubs his finger on his clothes. <em> I mean, the average day between Ouma and Byakuya, but I feel like something is missing. </em></p><p>And then Ouma starts bawling.</p><p><em> How does oxtail soup taste anyway? Does it have… an oxtail? </em>R pondered the thought of skipping lunch because of how strange it sounded, but decided against it, as that would be awfully rude.</p><p>And then a vase almost falls on Komaeda’s head and he just smiles like he knew.</p><p>The dining hall is large, R thinks to herself, exceptionally large. The walls are covered with some strange old wallpaper, parched into the wall with small cracks on parts, and there are paintings, watching them make their every step. She isn’t sure if she’s just being self-conscious, but she swears that in one of the eyes, she saw their reflection. There is a long table in the center, a little like a chessboard, with sixteen seats, all so very strange in their own unique way. A chandelier hangs above and it is full of black roses that feel all too real to be fake. Nobody questioned anything though, as this was Komaeda’s home, after all, it was bound to be slightly suspicious.</p><p> In front of a couple is a stew, and the maid- Mallory, she told them, brushing her black hair out of her face, and giving them a stiff, almost bashful in a hollow way, told them it was the food. </p><p>“I apologize for it being so bland, but nobody warned any of us that Master Komaeda and fellow friends of his would come.” The maid- <em> Mallory </em> chuckled to herself. “Not like I am one to complain. I am very glad to have known he made such… ah, how should I put it? <em> Special </em> friends and brought them here..”</p><p>“To consider these wonderful people my friends? I c-”</p><p>“Thank you,” Amami, the big brother, of course has to interrupt Komaeda. “He’s interesting to hang out with as well.” R isn’t sure whether Komaeda should take that as a compliment or as an insult, but whatever he chose, it certainly wasn’t death over life, and that’s good enough.</p><p>“So… I’m sorry, but alas I must have my-”</p><p>“Stop being so melodramatic,” Byakuya chides, pushing in his glasses. Sfrog+ pushes in her glasses as well and they stare at each other for a moment, before Sfrog+ looks back at Mallory. “And R- Stop staring at me like you’re staring at your reflection. It is horrid to imagine my esteemed self as that crackpot of yourself.” </p><p>R laughs at that as she overhears- It doesn’t count as snooping when Sfrog+ was the one that enjoyed snooping- the questions Sfrog+ was about to ask. They’ve known each other long enough to both recognize their behaviors, and R had a strong,<em> a very strong feeling </em>, that Sfrog+ was about to- “How did you get this job?” she asks, twiddling with those fingers of her’s.</p><p>“Well, the lady of this household brought me in from the orphanage-”</p><p>“Oh.~ That must be why your name means unlucky.” Ouma laughs ever so carefreely, and R wants to strangle him- Then realizes he’s horrible at talking, communicating in general, and just grows bored of conversations much too easily.</p><p>“Yes,” A strand of black hair falls onto Mallory’s face again, her snow-white skin a great contrast. “Yes, it does. The lady brought me in from the orphanage because of it funnily enough. They thought I could handle Master Komaeda if they… ever vanished from the face of the Earth. In a way, I ultimately did, haven’t I?”</p><p>“Cool,” Sfrog+ says, growing uncomfortable with the subject, “Also, have you ever tasted peach juice mixed with sparkling water? That stuff is good.” <em> Ah, another failed attempt at communication, class </em>. </p><p>“That is pretty good,” R has to add, joining their horrible communication club. “Sfrog+ got some in the apartments and she’s not lying. She has a lot of weird things-”</p><p>“You have a British accent.” </p><p>“You have an American accent.” R argues back.</p><p>“But you have a bloody American accent- And talk about things like a cuppa and whatever plaster is! There is no way on Earth I’m putting wall clothes on my injuries. Komaeda could for all I care because he would definitely survive- He’s surviving on luck this entire time.” R suppresses to giggle at that. In one of their first meetings, before they collabed in a writing piece, Sfrog+ randomly started bleeding once from her finger, and R said something like, <em> “Put plaster on it!!!!!!!” </em></p><p>
  <em> I wished she wouldn’t burn those memories in her head. </em>
</p><p>“Which has a high chance of failing. And it’s not even worth an ultimate.” Komaeda adds. “I think… You two are both very strange. We all have Japanese accents and are males, so you two should just-”</p><p>“Shut up, Komaeda. You’re gay.” Sfrog+ tells him, “Uh- Sorry if we confuse you, Mallory.” Mallory brushes the hair on her face and forces a small smile to her face, nodding. She points them to the table, telling them to,</p><p>“Now go eat your food Master Komaeda, before it turns cold.”</p><p>Ouma complains his plate isn’t by one of the horse chairs and Byakuya and Sfrog+ have a deep, consensual conversation about big words that R is pretty sure Sfrog+ is just making half of them up and Byakuya, amused, is following along. R begins to talk to Komeda and Amami about rich people and how they should all give her one million dollars because that’s what friends are for- (<em> Okay. She isn’t that suspicious. She just happens to hang around a lot of rich people that tend to offer their money to her for her friendship, okay? </em> ) They eventually all begin to talk to each other about what to do after this. And R is a little shocked how strange it is to see Sfrog+ and Ouma try to eat the bone to challenge their <em> lack of endurance </em>, to Amami stopping them and forcing the bones to fall underneath the table.</p><p>And R swears there is a burnt hand trying to crawl out, further, further, so close to grabbing her leg, and then it simply fades into the back of her head, vanished from the eyes tormenting at R’s scream.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 5th, Friday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 3:02 PM </em>
</p><p>“Time to explore.” Amami thought out loud, tapping his chin with his finger, and looking up at a picture. A picture of a white-haired woman, kindly smiling down at them with her glowing ghostly eyes, her skin matching her eyes. A ghost. <em> That’s funny </em> , R thinks to herself, <em> how she looks so much like her son </em> . Her clothes are a little Victorian, a light green, and makes Sfrog+ take a quick picture to “ <em> redraw </em>”. The person next to her looked more like a mad scientist than a father and a husband. Wild hair, dark blue eyes that could stare into one’s own soul. His clothes matched the woman’s color, with a white jacket on top of it. He grinned like a madman.</p><p>Like a father to son, mother to son, they seemed all so similar. “That’s a cute picture.”</p><p>“Oh, thank you- But it’s not a picture, it’s a portrait. Do you want to see my dog’s picture as well?” Komaeda’s empty eyes had a gleam and R slowly nodded her head. “Well, it’s in my bedroom, so I’m not too sure if you ladies would like to-”</p><p>“Don’t worry. You’re too gay for me to feel a single heartbeat. In fact, I think I’m so dead from being next to you, my heartbeat stopped berating ages ago, and now, I am to be.” Sfrog+ says, raising her hand with a smile.</p><p>“To be. To be, what?” R asked.</p><p>“What?” Sfrog+ asked her, tilting her head and pushing in her glasses. “Why are you saying to be?” R didn’t push it.</p><p>“Alright, let me quickly look in the cellar-”</p><p>“Cellar.” R repeats, as if in a trance. “Please don’t leave us Komeda. We love you so, so much. You might die down there. Sfrog+ has shown me and Amami enough horror games to know how this goes.”</p><p>“Horror games? Is that really what you three like?” Ouma asks, clicking his tongue. “Why don’t we play a game then? I think you’ll reaaaaally enjoy it! You can go talk to all your friends- Oh wait, sorry, you don’t have any- about this real-life experience of being pushed into a cellar feels like.” A dark smile comes to his face and a shiver runs up her spine. </p><p>“Byakuya help me!” R whines, “Use your money attack! Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back with all of Ouma’s organs later.” R runs behind him, trying to ignore the feeling of being watched. It was probably one of the workers here anyway.</p><p>“Don’t go down to the cellar.” Sfrog+ tells Komaeda, “This is a command from someone that you respect. Really, my third eye is getting freaked out and so is the person with me.” Komaeda gives her a small look for a moment, crossing his arms, then gives her a smile and nods. “Also, you’re gay.” R tries not to think about what she means about the person she brought with her.</p><p>“That wasn’t needed, Sfrog+.” Amami scolds her.</p><p>Sfrog+ has the skill set in her pokemon card to refute, “Oh, Amami, it <em> so </em> was.” Amami laughs at that and rubs her head, and then Ouma starts commanding Amami- as the Ultimate Supreme Leader- to pet him too. It’s much more of a rub really, but Ouma doesn’t do much to complain except for kicking him in the foot.</p><p>They walk slowly up the stairs, glancing around like tourists and taking quick pictures of almost everything to go brag to their friends that they went to a serial killer’s house and lived- Except the person is worse than a serial killer and has a 50% to kill everybody they know as the seconds tick.</p><p>If R was sane, she would question why it almost looked as though the walls were shifting, grinding on each other like they were alive, strange noises made every few seconds. If R was sane, she would question why there was a door off the floor and a door hanging from the stairs, and why when opened it led to a wall. If R was sane, she would question why there was a case of fake porcelain dolls staring at them through the glass, with one of their arms chopped off. But like any other normal person, as to say, she was not sane.</p><p>If she was sane, she wouldn’t be here with a guy rumored to have killed before, with two rich people older than her by a year or so, with a psycho that enjoyed to wear straight jackets and lie his face and skin off, or some strange girl younger than her by two years that spoke to herself quietly and wandered off too much.</p><p>“Wait, Sfrog+, don’t head that way.” R called out as Sfrog+ started to walk towards another long hall, gurgling with its pale pink-striped wallpaper, and for a second, the lights flickered. Straight out of a textbook horror movie, R thought to herself as Sfrog+ gave her <em> that look </em>.</p><p>“But,” Sfrog+ started. “He told me I should go down this hall.” R didn’t question who he was, “and plus, we are just really bored. I can’t just send you rice gifs this entire trip, and I can’t just make applesauce in the corner. I didn’t bring any of the ingredients.”</p><p>“Ask Komaeda then! I know how badly you like to do all of those things,” R snorted, “I know, that you’re running out of rice gifs to send me. So just send some fried rice gifs- Wait, where did the others go?” R turned to her left, where the others were walking, but they weren’t there anymore.</p><p>Fear flooded her mind.</p><p>“Um, I guess you could come with us then.” Sfrog+ shrugged, “I was scared that I would be alone with him<em> again </em> , but I guess not.” R doesn’t question who <em> he </em> is. But glances back at the path the others took. The hall looks different almost, turning at different parts she didn’t remember and different paintings lined up.</p><p>“Alright then… But when we get home, you have to buy me some mochi- And not chocolate. Chocolate tastes weird with mochi.” R stood by that fact. Chocolate mochi just didn’t taste right, though she didn’t dislike it too much. Something shifted in the corner of R’s eye though she didn’t see as she was having deep thoughts about mochi.</p><p>“We can agree to disagree while still agreeing because we disagreed.” Sfrog+ hummed, linking her arms with R. ”It’s time to go on a trip with you as any logical person would think, because I am very logical,<em> very sane </em>, and am not going to bring you into the torments of the Earth.” R could disagree to disagree.</p><p>“So…” The lights flickered again and somebody was at the end of the hall, and then the lights fluttered again and R could see a door at the end. She wanted to run to that door, but wanted to just leave this weird maze- thing!- maze thing! Or whatever it’s called and meet with the others.</p><p>“Don’t worry mom,” Sfrog+ said, a small smile falling to her face. <em> It would be so messed up if I was her mom though. </em>“I’ll keep you safe. Apparently, I keep away monsters- Ah, but that’s a lie. I have no idea what that means. I do see through, with this totally working third eye of mine that has yet to touch fluorite, that something is at the end of the hall, good or bad I don’t know. Let’s go!” R wasn’t too sure what that meant, but she glanced around again and held Sfrog+’s hand tighter.</p><p>“Don’t go all Ouma mode on us now.” R grumbled, “And, stay close. I don’t want you to get lost.”</p><p>“Yep, don’t worry. The only thing I might betray you of is that I brought a nerf gun with us-”</p><p>“Why do you have to bring a nerf gun wherever we are? You don’t even bring any bullets, you just- Like, make that weird pop sound.” R asked, raising her eyebrow. She tried not to notice how there was only one door at the end of this hall, and the wallpaper was almost pushing them to run.</p><p>“Pop.” Sfrog+ entertained, she turned to her left, nobody there for a second, then turned away. “I just remembered something, so we’re supposed to be resting here and then go the next morning, but where are us girls supposed to sleep.”</p><p>“I honestly could care less.” R shrugged, “I mean, the dudes are literally- My heartbeat is so dead you would have to defy logic and scare me to make it beat again. Which one is the hot-”</p><p>“I have a thing for psychologically unstable people, I realized a long time ago, so don’t ask me.” Sfrog+ said, “More than half of them are rich, so I don’t know about you, but I would care less about cash and more on how to,” she paused,” How to become even better friends to earn their trust.” That had a different meaning than what one would think.</p><p>It felt like something was behind them, but R didn’t want to look behind herself.</p><p>“And, now, we’re at the door. So let’s stop talking shit about our… friends.” R said. “Or the praise. They don’t deserve praise- Oh, this room… Looks like Komaeda’s room, or something he would have.” They swung open the mysterious door, and there was a small boy’s room, or similar. The door tightly shut behind them, leaving them alone in a room that looked quite like Komaeda’s. Then the door opens again and-</p><p>“Oh, there you are, R.” Amami sighed, “We were getting worried that you and the little one went backward, or Sfrog+ saw one of the staff and went to go ask them a couple of questions… Thank god.” </p><p>“You guys look like you’ve been through hell and back. As a personal experience that I’ve had, that isn’t much fun because I kept trying to stay in hell.” Ouma noted, “I know, heaven doesn’t let people in unless they died! That look of disappointment I can<em> feel </em>on a very personal level.”</p><p>“I agree. It’s horrible how they don’t allow us to stay.” Sfrog+ humored him. “Uh- By the way, Komaeda, do you happen to like long halls where it is perfect for strange creatures to run at you through and the walls are moving and everything feels like it’s gone to hell? I don’t know but that feels like something you would like.” </p><p>R clarified for them, “She was trying to explore and I stopped her, but when we turned around you guys were nowhere to be seen, so we went down this long hall.” She sighed, feeling oddly drained.</p><p>“Oh…” Amami muttered, “You guys look really pale.” His voice was low, and the small sounds of Ouma walking around the room filled the air.</p><p>“I feel sick.” R blurted out. She paused, “I mean, it felt like something was watching us at the end of the hall. Can we rest a little, have Komaeda tell us stories about how he gets killed every second?”</p><p>“As one does say, watching one get almost killed every second clams their nerves.” Sfrog+ adds, “Actually, I think it’s watching one get stabbed every second is to bring panic, but details aren’t the thing that makes people want them.”</p><p>Byakuya looked like he wanted to argue but refrained, instead saying, “I’m tired.”</p><p>Nobody wanted to admit the fact that Komaeda probably knows more than them but doesn’t talk during this, and nobody admits how the dust in this room almost suffocates them, and how in the corner of the room there are small red marks splayed across the old crumbly wallpaper, and how there almost seems to be a small, ghostly voice every time they walk towards the door, calling out.</p><p>Mallory delivers some food to them and gets blankets, and as the afternoon light grows somber while Komaeda tells them his stories about his dog before it died, and the calming afternoon is spent with them searching around the room, finding small knick-knacks as they eventually began to crowd around each other while eating ice cream that Mallory made.</p><p>“I like chocolate waaaay more!” Ouma whined, stuffing the vanilla ice cream in his mouth despite that, though that’s clearly a lie. I don’t like ice cream at all, because I’m too allergic to eat it.” Then he takes another bite. </p><p>“You like to spill Panta “<em> accidentally </em> ” on your rice and ice cream.” Amami told him, “And then you add fucking ten pounds of sugar, and then I remember so clearly, you asked me for <em> weed </em> .” <em> Ah, the memories. </em></p><p>“It makes sense that such a plebeian like you needs to stuff themselves full of sugar.” Byakuya said, uncomfortably crossing his legs on the chair, he sighed, putting back his head into the chair and staring up, “Hey- Why doesn’t this have any lights?” R glanced up at the room.</p><p>The only light was the dim ones formed from the window.</p><p>“Oh- Because I couldn’t sleep with them when I was younger. The lights would always fall down on me.” Komaeda explained, “Sorry, does it bother you?”</p><p>“No, it’s fine, Komaeda. I like mint myself.” R persuaded, “And peach.”</p><p>“I like to add a little flavor of a human head.” Sfrog+ added, “I like matcha, anything matcha is the best to me. Just, to be, the best.” Sfrog+ glanced at her vanilla ice cream, “But this is fine as well, I guess.”</p><p>Amami glanced at the two, head tilted to a pillow, “I like avocado ice cream.”</p><p>“Wow, that was so unneeded Amami-chan.” Ouma said, lifting up his spoon, “let’s talk about ghost stooories obviously. This is the only night I have out with my subordinates so let’s get going!”</p><p>“Subordinates.” R repeated, “Guess we’ll need to pull an anarchy move and destroy you. But… horror movies? Yeah, I can deal with that. When should we start?” Sfrog+ paused, standing up for a moment and grabbing everyone’s empty bowl away.</p><p>“I’ll go put these away, downstairs.” Sfrog+ slowly tells the others as she put her hand on the door, “I’m not really sure if anybody will want to come with me, but they can.” Everyone glanced at each other for a moment, very quietly wondering who should go with the youngest member in their eyes. Or to go instead of her.</p><p>Ouma raised his hand, “I’ll go! As the Ultimate Supreme Leader, it is my responsibility to kill myself before everyone. As anyone would to be!~” R pauses for a moment, would it really be good to let those eccentric teenagers be alone? They might even break down the walls if they aren’t careful.</p><p>“As in, instead of her? Or with her?” Amami asked, Ouma didn’t answer as he stood up.</p><p>“With me,” Sfrog+ shrugs, “and I am going to talk his head off about a certain person he knows.” She pushes in her glasses while Ouma uncomfortably tugs at his scarf, his face with a smile. “Because, I just have the power to.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah- Crushes, crushes, whatever makes you feel like you’re sane, Sfrog+-chan. And talk to <em> him </em>while you're with me, won’t you?” Ouma says, twirling his purple locks around. “Can we hurry up and get killed? Pwetty pwease, Sfrog+-chan? And so you can go die.” his voice went dark, </p><p>“Sure.” Sfrog+ simply nods, and they leave, just like that. The door opens, and everyone goes silent. R peeks at the side of her eye how different the hall looks now, and she swears she’s going insane just by breathing the dusty air from here.</p><p>“Do you think we should have made different people go?” Amami asks.</p><p>“I think…” Komaeda pauses, putting his hand to his chin, “that such hopeful people like them will do just fine. I couldn’t possibly bear it if something bad happened to them though, even though I wished to have gone with her…” He pauses.</p><p>“Well, too bad that you’re now here with us.” Byakuya threw back.</p><p>Komaeda widens his eyes as if just realizing this. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think I would be putting you hopeful people down like that..!” He sat on his bed, perplexed on what to do. Komaeda furrowed his brows while Amami meaninglessly poked at him. Like Shirogane, he broke like a machine crumbling apart. He yawns, causing a chain reaction.</p><p>“Hm, he stopped as easily as the gun he tried to shoot himself with. Useless.” Byakuya said, and R tried not to laugh at that. It really wasn’t funny to laugh at others' misfortunes, especially when it was<em> fucking </em> Komaeda that was too deep in something R wasn’t sure how to describe. <em> But it was funny even though. </em></p><p>“How should we set up the beds?” R asked, stifling a snicker, “Girls on one side, and Komaeda can sleep on his bed, and then the boys can sleep lined up next to Komaeda’s bed.” R thought for a moment, “No, the girls can sleep on… The boys can sleep on…”</p><p>“We can just, form a circle if we wanted to. And then Komaeda could be in the center as the sacrifice.” Amami said, “And Byakuya could be outside, to be sacrificed by the real creature.” No comment.</p><p>Byakuya scoffed, crossing his arms, “Are you really as stupid to say <em> I, </em> the venerate Togami Byakuya, the would be the one getting sacrificed?” Amami just laughed at that as R ventured through the question to ask him what <em> venerate </em> meant, but no words were formed from her mouth.</p><p>“So, you wanna make a summoning circle with all the sleeping bags and blankets… And stuff?” R asked, “I’m not sure about what you think, but that just sounds like you’re sleep-deprived and your brain is malfunctioning into shambles.” R yawns, thinking about the idea of sleep. A long car ride with loud yelling and somebody laying their head on her shoulders, going inside this strange huge house where too much was stuffed into her ears and was forced to stay awake until it reached the falling sky.</p><p>“Let’s just have girls on one side of the room across from the boys; The bathroom is close enough so it’s good, and we can still hear each other even from that because we’re only across from each other.” R said, “Boom, bam, done. And I want to go to sleep and rest.”</p><p>“Hm, yeah. Me too.” Komaeda yawned, laying down on his bed, “This bed is nostalgic.” And it probably smells like dust, as well. But R doesn’t say that as she and Amami set up everyone’s sleeping bags, though Komaeda wanted to help a little too much and Byakuya complained about the space, but they all seemed tired to do anything. Though Byakuya did get his choice in the end and his makeshift bed was made over to the corner.</p><p>R relaxes into her thing and stabs Sfrog+’s backpack over to the sleeping bag next to her. R glances at her own bag, and stands up with a sigh, “I’ll go brush my teeth in the bathroom. And I’m going to take pictures of you guys in your sleep after, so just, keep that in your mind when you see somebody staring above you in your sleep.”</p><p>“Ding dong bing bong, a body has been discovered.” Komaeda laughed, and R looked at him with a befuddled face. “Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin.”</p><p>“Wait, hold on- Isn't that the announcement that played one time and everyone just freaked out, like? Bruh, the teachers just panicked when it played. Was that you?” R asked, widening her eyes.</p><p>“I thought they told everyone. Hypocritical nutcase, do they have a screw loose?” Byakuya stated in a question. Though R wasn’t sure who they were, it was probably correct they had a screw loose if they knew Byakuya.</p><p>R went to the door nearby, and opened it to find the bathroom. She was amazed that a small kid like Komaeda had his<em> own</em> bathroom.</p><p>“Iruma did the coding and stuff and Fujisaki helped a little bit, I think… Komaeda was the one who helped them a little and the voicing I have no idea who did it. It was probably coded by Mioda or something because she was exploring electronic voices and bringing orphan kids to the school at the time, right?” Amami explained.</p><p>R came out of the bathroom, toothbrush in mouth, and ready to spit at anybody like the llama she always wanted to be. And they <em> knew </em>. Komaeda went in the bathroom after her, muttering about how Mallory said the toilets worked, and how if he wasn’t careful, there might be something bad happening.</p><p>R shrugged, “She told me she was trying to whisper something but forgot how to whisper once. I don’t know Ibuki, and plus she’s close to Maizono, ugh.” Most people knew about her strange hatred, and strange pictures of some people in the academy. She had a rapid mass amount of pictures of Saihara suffering, photoshopped into a fire or something else horribly for a reason she couldn’t specify, or something weird. She also had a rapid mass amount of pictures about other people that could be used as blackmail. One of Maizono laying on a bathroom floor with a knife stuffed into her and <em> 11037 </em> written in the backdrop, pink blood spilling out.</p><p>And so therefore, hatred.</p><p>A good minute passed as they all finished brushing and setting up camp in young Komaeda’s room, and R is so close to forgetting what happened earlier in the hall. She wonders how Ouma is dealing with her and is Sfrog+ is dealing with him. Really, they would have a scream competition if they could.</p><p>“Ugh… I’m so tired. They should be coming to the door in a few minutes.” Amami said, after brushing his teeth. He laid his head into one of the pillows Mallory got for them. He juggled the photograph of something in his hands. “So, Byakuya, are you sure you want to sleep in the corner? What if I place my bed... next to your’s…aha ha… just kidding, unless..? ”</p><p>“You setarious vermin, you better have not have brought any weed. I do not want to smell your grimy herbs.” Byakuya told him, glaring at Byakuya’s bag.</p><p>“Hey- Why does everyone think I smoke weed?”</p><p>R shrugged her shoulders, “Sfrog+ told me you don’t smoke it, you eat it. That you eat frogs and cats and kill people and hang them alive. Word by word. So,” She yawned again, “Well, night.” Amami stares at her for a moment, a confuzzled look on his face. Again, no comment.</p><p>There was a small creak beyond the door and small mutters. It bangs open, two people talking deeply about the philosophy of some strange made-up backstory of some strange random name one of them made up. Sfrog+ opened her mouth, a flashlight that R didn’t notice before in her hand. The light shone in her face more than enjoyed, “Honey I’m home.” Amami didn’t say anything in reply to that, waving with his head down.</p><p>“I want a divorce.” Byakuya humored her, “I wouldn’t want your grungy, dingy self breathing the same air as me. Leave the room.” Or not humored her, R thinks to herself.</p><p>“Welcome back,” Komaeda smiled.</p><p>“Hey bitches,” Ouma aimlessly waves, squatting down onto the floor immediately, “You guys have no idea what I have been through. I just learned that there is an alternative plane of existence that is the unconscious mind of humanity, and now I have to fight god tomorrow, let me sleep.”</p><p>“What a contrasting partake in saying hello to somebody.” Komaeda said, his hand on his chin, “The hopeful variety.” He added, pondering deeply for a moment. <em> He’s like Korekiyo but worse. </em></p><p>“Wait- didn’t you say we should tell each other horror stories?” R asked, standing up, “Get up, and Sfrog+, your bed isn’t on that side, that’s for Ouma. It’s next to me, still roommates.” All she got back was a large yawn and Ouma struggling to make her try not to punch him down the throat.</p><p>Sfrog+ fell into the bed and took out some weird stuffed animal, formed like a… weird creature, and softly put it down, “And Mr.Cat can participate in the conversation.” R didn’t say anything about how that <em> thing </em> most definitely wasn’t a cat, because she knew Sfrog+ had even more horrid stuffed animals at the apartment.</p><p>“Horror stories? Is that really what we want to do?” Amami asked, raising an eyebrow. “Can’t it be like, stories about that creature Sfrog+ and Ouma were talking about? I don’t know about you guys, but that amused me pretty well.”</p><p>“I’m not sure, but if you people really want to talk about that with me, such a useless piece of trash, I don’t mind… A fair warning, if I must add though,- b-but I’m not forcing you to or anything..!” <em> Tsundere, </em>“It’s, um, I’m afraid my luck might-” R cut him off, not bearing to listen to another wonderful poem created by Komaeda about gutting himself. </p><p>“Byakuya… He looks asleep. So we don’t need his vote. I want to do it, sure- I mean, I’m tired, but I was so bored today. All we did was go into a car for a really long time with only backpacks, arrive here, and then go to sleep!-”</p><p>“I walked two times down an abnormal hall that Ouma told me wasn’t there, and now <em> he </em> is telling me that someone is watching me very intently. Don’t know about you, but my heart is pounding as hardcore as when <em> he </em>tried to kill me.” Sfrog+ said, her eyes widening in amusement as she twisted the arm of the eerie stuffed creature in her arms, twisting, twisting, and then it fell back.</p><p>
  <em> Oh no, Mr.Cat, call PETA if you are being abused!  </em>
</p><p>“Neat.” Amami said in a flat voice, “I’m down for telling horror stories as long as she tells me more about who<em> he </em>is.” R couldn’t help but agree, and although curiosity killed the cat, she was none other than human growing in bones.</p><p>“I’m down for this for telling horror stories as long as Komaeda tells me more about what goes on here,” Sfrog+ nods, spinning the poor creature into a black hole. And down the Alice hole, it shall go if R doesn’t move.</p><p>She doesn’t. “Well, how about you Ouma? You’ve been oddly quiet.”</p><p>“Because I was getting the video ready, of course! Like any normal- <em> Perfect </em> person I am and will grow up to be, I wanted to record this.” Ouma says, a smile on his face. A camera was in his hand, if he actually knew how to use it, “I had that whore made it for me so I could show my beloved just what!” His smile grows and a chill runs up R’s spin.</p><p>“Just what?” Amami laughs, “Yeah, you do what you do and I’ll just be here. Who wants to start?” When nobody dared to raise their hand, and when a small whisper came from above the floorboards, Amami spoke again, more quietly, “I guess I’ll go.”</p><p>He pulled out a flashlight and flickered around like how one would do to a laser to a cat, then he dimmed it, and rested it on the ground. “How should I start this? Ah, well, it probably doesn’t matter much, so… One of my sister’s names is Lily, the transparent theme of flowers and love in this tightly bonded family of mine, and she is the middle child. She always… felt like she was so alone, or at least she told me once. I lost her, when we were at our first amusement park together…” Amami hesitated. And if somebody was muttering in a soft whispery voice below the ground, then R couldn’t hear it. </p><p>“I haven’t found her yet… Though I swear that sometimes, when I'm in places like this, I can see her around the corner, for only a glimpse. One time, I tried following her, when I was in an abandoned building, people told me it was like a ghost, so… I went there, alone, like the smart person I am. And… I swear, I swear to god I saw something there, and it definitely wasn’t my sister, it was… A swear I saw something that shouldn’t have been possible.” Amami stopped, and something banged on the wood below, him, the flashlight rolling over to R. Nobody responded to that.</p><p>“And well, that’s my story.” Amami shrugged, “Not scary, but because it’s true that just makes it scary I guess.”</p><p>“You just said two things that contradict each other, make up your mind,” Ouma said a little too loudly across the room. He dramatically stuck his fingers over his chest and widened his eyes, gasping, “Unless you did that on purpose, you felon!” Amami efficaciously rolled his eyes, sighing into his hand.</p><p>“My imagination runs as wild as to where I go so I bet it was just me,” Amami tells himself, cross-legging and leaning over to pick up the flashlight. He raises it, spinning it in his hands that would possibly be amusing to one. “Who wants to go next?” The light shines onto the ceiling, bouncing down and making Amami have a glow at the bottom of his face. It’s almost passive, just how everyone is silently glancing at each other in silent agreement gone wrong.</p><p>“That story really sucks. You didn’t even describe the monster or anything much. Too rushed,” R said bluntly, “You should get therapy if you see that though.” Amami laughed as he put down the flashlight. </p><p>“I guess I’ll go next.” Sfrog+ shrugs, “Pass me the flashlight so I can… put it to use.” She looks up for a moment, staring at the ceiling and then turns away. Sfrog+ stood up, almost louder than a whisper, “There’s somebody else here, in this room.”</p><p>Amami threw her the flashlight and it landed on Sfrog+’s makeshift bed, R looks around, her heart for some reason, just turning slightly heavier in this cold, moonlighted room, Komaeda and the others having their eyes on Sfrog+ as she picked up the flashlight. “<em> He </em> is watching me, and <em> he </em>knows.”</p><p>“Knows what?” Ouma asks, clearly amused at the younger girl and tilts his head, legs tucked in. The liar, the lying. R wonders just how many lies were told today out of all of them today, and how many lies Sfrog+ will spout, or will it not be? She feels a little light-headed as Sfrog+ continues,</p><p>“He knows me. He knows you. He knows that the light shines through your electronics, right this second, a ticking clock as it runs out, curiosity is to not squander, and the further you go the worst it will get, humanity shall burn the Earth. So-”</p><p>“My head, stop speaking in riddles, Sfrog+.” R groans, head falling onto her pillow. She stares up, and she imagines the night sky out here, the stars glistening brightly all the while trapped up there, them trapped down here. <em> Too much poetry. </em></p><p>“Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just talking to myself. Right, sorry.” Sfrog+ is quick to apologize, sitting down as she takes off her glasses. It’s weird to see her without them, so R glances down at that strange stuffed creature Sfrog+ brought in her bag. “Horror? Oh yeah, so everyone, shut your eyes and lay flat on your back.” It doesn’t smile at her, but the unique way its two black holes on the face staring at her makes her feel like she’s at the apartment, something weird in every corner, the others too cozy to have not lived there.</p><p>Something outside howls.</p><p>“Why?” Ouma snorts, “I like it way better when I’m not completely vulnerable. And by the way, unless all of you forgot, I put the camera off.” He fidgets with the camera in his hands, glancing through the lens.</p><p>“You did, Ouma?” Komaeda asks, “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice.”</p><p>“Nah, I didn’t. But now I know that the camera will not let Sfrog+ do anything when I close my eyes! Like, put an alien up my nose and force me to swallow.” Ouma said in his happy-to-jolly ranging voice, raising up the camera in almost a hysterical way, grinning for no reason.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll do that when you’re asleep and when I take the batteries out of it.” Sfrog+ nods, “Everyone, close your eyes and lay on your back. Except for you Komaeda, you stay wide-eyed and watch the others.” Komaeda obediently nods as Sfrog+ continues.</p><p>“Uh- Is this part of your horror story, frog?” No comment, “I mean Sfrog+.”</p><p>“Yep, yep. Just follow after me and all's good will end good- Or is it well?” Everyone decided not to question anything as Sfrog+ went silent for a second, the small thumping sounds of R’s heartbeat and the concern filling her head were to be heard. “Everyone.” A different voice.</p><p>And it seems so familiar for some reason, as it drifts in the middle of the room, to the left where R is positioned, and strangely childish. It doesn’t sound like Byakuya, and R would’ve heard the creaking sounds of the floor panels as Sfrog+ or Komaeda were to move. “Nobody, open your eyes.” She says to no one in particular. Somebody rustled, most likely Komaeda. <em> Is Sfrog+ going to sacrifice us or whatever? What’s even going on? </em></p><p>“Today, on <em> July Friday, the fifth </em> ,-” The sentence doesn’t finish, and suddenly something falls down, something R can’t see, and she’s sure it’s just part of the story, so she doesn’t open her eyes. The voice continues, “Today, on <em> July Friday, the fifth </em>.” It repeats, “marks the day that-” The voice grows distorted, and there seems to be a small ringing in the background, fading in and out.</p><p>“Sfrog+, what’s happening?” No response, but somebody kneels down, and the creaking of their bone makes R sure that they have to be there. They are close, and R is sure that they are above her. </p><p>There is a small click where Sfrog+ should be.</p><p>“<em> I once had a dream, </em> ” That is Sfrog+’s voice, and it echoes in the room as breathing is heard. It sounds a little distorted, and it seems like it was pre-recorded. It sounds panicked. “ <em> I woke up, in an empty white room, and the walls were closing in, and in my head, I was counting up to ten. </em>”</p><p>The other voice speaks, “Marks the day that-” The voice grows even more distorted this time, and it is barely even recognizable, it stutters on the last syllable, and R wants to open her eyes so badly, but she waits because curiosity is a finicky monster. It stops, and that strange ringing sound fades in and grows louder.</p><p>“<em> I can’t remember why I was counting to ten, but I remember that there was a reason. I never reached any number past one, I don’t know why- It was a really weird dream. I blinked, </em> ” somebody was heavily breathing on top of R, and she could hear them. “ <em> And then suddenly, I was back in my room, and I’m pretty sure that wasn’t a dream. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t. It couldn’t be- </em>” That was the most panicked R has ever heard her get.</p><p>“Today marks the day that <em> every single one </em> of you-” The voice continues, much too distorted to sound human. Sfrog+’s voice continues to babble, “ <em> Every single night. Every single night, never reaching ten. Every single night, in that horrid white room, while the walls closed even more. Every single night they just kept closing in and every single night I was there, waiting for something- </em>” Her voice hit an abrupt stop.</p><p>“<em> And… And then, I- </em>” A thud hits the ground, and R uncomfortably shifts, shutting her eyes even tighter. Nobody says anything, silent, and it feels like R is the only one here, in this black prison, and if she were to open her eyes. The ringing in the background grows louder.</p><p>“Today marks the day that every single one of you die.” The voice is so anamorphic, twisting into a strange long buzzing at the end, and the ringing finally pops, exploding into R’s ears and she snaps her eyes open, her heart in a quick panic.</p><p>
  <b> <em>BRUH.</em> </b>
</p><p>She takes in the sight of Ouma holding out a strange device, an app on a voice recorder in the middle of his bed, sitting still with a laughing smile on his face. The moonlight shines in through the window and everything seems brighter, Komaeda awkwardly leaning over his bed to hold another device near Amami, and Sfrog+... She is sitting with a ginormous grin, hands trying to muff her laughter. She is holding her phone, on another voice recorder app. <em> BRUH. </em></p><p>“Wake up Love-me-chan.~” Ouma snickered as Amami snapped his eyes open, and he looked confused, to see a device soon fall on his face after, flinching and trying to get it off.</p><p>“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to drop it!” Komaeda’s panics, “I’m so sorry a piece of trash like me dropped something as important as that device on you, I can pay you any amount you want-”</p><p>“Not even a googolplex amount of cash can fix my broken heart,” Sfrog+ says dryly, catching her breath. <em> BRUH. </em>“Or my broken soul, stuffed into some dumpster I can't remember while accompanying a horror YouTuber's black soul stuffed into an empty trash can.”</p><p>“What- Why, don’t tell me you actually voice recorded everything, “Amami groaned, shoving the recorder into Komaeda’s face, who didn’t seem much offended at all. “You- Did you two plan this before we went?” When Ouma and Sfrog+ wordlessly glanced at each other, Amami groaned again, stuffing his face into the pillow. “That means Ouma did his horror story as well then.”</p><p>“Were you involved as well, Komaeda?” Amami has to ask, and Komaeda shakes his head, going on about how he isn’t important enough to do such a thing.</p><p>“That ugly whore pig did a little work as well, I guess, though she didn’t add the laser beam feature in the app, that dog. And Ibuki made the distortion of the voice, which is truly your Supreme Leader’s.” Ouma explains, in a bored tone, glancing down at his fingernails painted purple.</p><p>“BRUH.” R says furrowing his brows. They all glance at her, “BRUH.”</p><p>“Hey bruh.” Sfrog+ waves, patting her shoulder, “Don’t worry bruh, we made it just for you bruh, now you can have an easy time sleeping while I post fics like there in the middle of the night. And of course- I know you blatantly agree, so I won’t ask anymore.”</p><p>“Can I go to sleep? I apologize, I didn’t know if we were going to do something like this and that made me especially tired. Though I can wake up if you need a sacrifice in the middle of the night-”</p><p>“No sacrifices today Komaeda. And yeah, we don’t want to wake Byakuya, and that might’ve…” Amami muttered, “Go to sleep… And Sfrog+?” Sfrog+ glances up at him, almost started. She squints, without glasses, to try and see him clearly. </p><p>Sfrog+ fidgeted with the strange creature she held in her arms, sighing into it. “Yes?”</p><p>“You never told us who <em> he </em> was,” Amami stated. No reply like how Sfrog+ stayed up in the middle of the night until day time one time and R told her to go to sleep. <em> He just got cold-hearted rejected. </em></p><p>“Night everyone,” Sfrog+ said in her quiet, soft voice and went under her covers next to R, and R glanced at the boys, shrugging. “Mr.Cat, you get to go with your sheets tucked in, so make sure to protect me, alright?” It was almost like a small child how she said that, and nobody said anything, especially Amami, who found her to be like a sister.</p><p>“Night, and make sure that when you take pictures of me in the middle of the night, send them to Saihara-chan.” Ouma purrs, throwing the covers on top of him, scarf still on and his strangely white outfit still hanging on his body. </p><p>“Please at least change you two, you never got to change because you were bringing the plates out.” Komaeda said, “I would hate for such hopeful people as yourselves to do something that a… reserve course student would do.” He furrowed his brows, with somebody in mind it seemed. </p><p>“Gaaaaaaaaaaay…” Somebody says, and R drifts to sleep, trying to ignore the whispers underneath the floorboards and the knocking on the door, the small sound of the wind blowing on the wind as there is a loud click in the middle of the room.</p><p>And Byakuya knows.</p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 6th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 5:32 AM </em>
</p><p>“Good morning,” Amami muttered in the silent air, it being damply warm probably because it was the summer. Nobody responded, and Amami snapped his eyes open, his breath on high panic from a dream. A dream about Lily, Lily…<em> Lily isn’t here. </em></p><p>It was slightly dark out, Amami noticed, and he glanced around Komaeda’s childhood bedroom. Everyone was still asleep, Ouma rustled, Komaeda crossed his arms, R laid still, and Sfrog+ was holding that alarming stuffed animal. And the stuffed animal’s black eyes stared at him.</p><p>Amami looked away and glanced at Byakuya’s make-do bed, and glanced out the window. The sky was orange, a bright red rising with the sun, the shades of the greenery surrounded the house.</p><p><em> Should I get up? </em>Amami pondered. He shrugged to himself, grabbing a clean pair of clothes to change into and silently balancing his feet towards the bathroom. Small taps came from the sink while he changed, and he stared at the mirror for a second. He swears somebody is in the shadow behind him in the mirror, always watching, and the person looks like somebody he wants to see so badly again.</p><p>Amami glances at his bag, quickly grabbing out the flashlight that somehow got back into his possession last night and turns the switch. “Time to adventure.”</p><p>In all truth, he found this place to be less than… Well, it was the place where Komaeda grew up anyway, so no rules of the Earth were bound here all of them could figure out. When they arrived here, Komaeda was the one driving, yet he didn’t say anything about where they were going. The wall, when they arrived, was almost alive, and the woman at the front- Mallory, Amami thinks is her name, seemed to have small scratches all over her body, though no one else seemed to have noticed.</p><p>The door swiftly opens, and Amami flashes the light down the hall, the long,<em> long, long </em>hall, and glances behind him, where everyone is restfully sleeping. He breathes in and starts walking.</p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 6th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 6:54 AM </em>
</p><p>Sfrog+ always woke up in the early mornings when in unfamiliar places, eyes wide open, still until somebody else woke up. It was Byakuya first; He seemed to be busying himself on packing his bags and leaving, disappearing behind the door after stuffing pillows in his bed. Mr.Cat stared at her as she thought to tear off his arms.<em> Twist, twist, twist, </em> and she didn’t because Mr.Cat wouldn’t respond.</p><p><em> He </em>stared at her for a moment and gave her a smile she wanted to avoid.</p><p>Then Amami woke up, heavily panting across the room as he uncomfortably shifted, eyes swirling around the room. He went to go change and left as well, flashing his flashlight on and off. Mr.Cat smiled at her, and she was tempted to wake up Komaeda.</p><p>But she decided not to because Komaeda was weird, and she didn’t feel like relating to somebody this early in the morning. “Mr.Cat, let’s play a prank on somebody.” Mr.Cat didn’t respond and she yawned, grabbing her glasses and stuffing some clothes into her hand. She changed her mind not to play a prank on someone.</p><p>Quickly changing and using the bathroom,<em> he </em>standing on the outside of course, she avoided the mirror. There was always something in the mirrors, always something in the halls, always something watching all of them- Well, at least in horror movies. Sfrog+ felt too subconscious here alone and rushed out of the bathroom after watching her hands, shutting it.</p><p>Her eyes wander to the others, still asleep. The floorboards creak while Sfrog+ glances at who to wake. It’s safer to walk in three’s, after all. Ouma was small, a liar, and a joker. He was easy to talk to, she found despite what others said, and quickened time. Komaeda was taller, leaner, and talked a lot about hope and something about… trash? He was the owner of this house and was bound to know, or have a slight memory of this cursed place.</p><p>The obvious choice was Ouma, of course, because as any logical person would think, he talked more. And plus, Komaeda just denied it whenever they talked about his crush. Ouma lied, which clearly meant he was not denying it. Or maybe she was just bored.</p><p>Sfrog+ bent over to the rustling person, purple hair splayed around. A purple scarf was still on, and she pulled out her phone and went over to her amazing voice recorder after snapping a quick picture. A small recording of Saihara, when she first met the first year. To be truthful, she was actually in the last year of her middle school, but somehow by a flip of a coin with no sides and perhaps the fact she studied her ass off, she got in.</p><p>The first thing she said to most people was to get them to sign a few things, as any logical person would, and then asked them to have their voice recorded. The third thing she would say, with a straight face and trying to sniffle a giggle. “I’m such a big fan of yours. Can you say, ‘<em> I love you </em>’ to the mic.” And therefore, she had a rapid mass of reactions of people that knew her only slightly and she lied that she was a fan.</p><p>Saihara’s voice faded into the mic, “Um- I-I’m sorry? Uh- I-I love y-you..?” He stuttered some more, “I-I’ve… read one of your stories before s-so, um- I’m sorry, I-I’m not good at talking…” Saihara speaks some more into the phone, “I like the combination story with t-that killing game s-story.”</p><p>“Thank you Saihara, for the ASMR,” Sfrog+ says, and Ouma furrowed his brows, his eyes crumbling open. And Ouma just stared at her with purple eyes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 6th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 7:13 AM </em>
</p><p>A voice, faint and quiet, and stuttery in that familiar way. A voice, Shuichi Saihara- <em> Shuichi fucking Saihara </em> , and Ouma swears for a second that shouldn’t be here. “I like the combination story with t-that killing game s-story.” <em> What the actual fuck? </em></p><p>Ouma snaps his eyes open, and stares up above him. Glasses preaching from her nose, hair covering a part of her face, and Ouma is pretty sure it’s Sfrog+, holding a phone close to Ouma’s ear. He casually rolled over on the phone and tried not to wince.</p><p>“Good morning.” Sfrog+ smiled fondly, “Would you like pancakes or waffles?”</p><p>“Can I kill you?” Ouma asked, his purple eyes staring at her with a blank look. “No, that won’t be enough. I should stab you in the neck, and leave the knife in your throat, plunge out your eyes and make you swallow your glasses whole stuff them down and tear out your organs with that phone of yours, break your phone and create a fire, and then start melting your skin, draw blisters in the skin, cute off your hair and poke them into your brain, and then- Oh, but that’s a lie. As a supreme leader of over 10,000 people, I know how to make you <em> suffer more than you could think </em> .” Well, Ouma thought, that wasn’t bound to be a lot. Oh- But that was a clear lie. (Bruh I just typed 66 words just to describe torture and I could go <em> on </em>.)</p><p>“Thank you for your application. Unfortunately I decided to go for a candidate better for the job. Have a good day and I hope to see you as one of our customers.” Sfrog+ rejected, “Sorry Ouma, you just got rejected.” She started playing the voice recorder again and he smacks it out of her hand, sitting up.</p><p>“Oh sorry, my hand slipped.” Ouma apologized. “Ah- But that’s a lie. Like I would get my hand dirty just to slip it? Who do you think I am? SCP 343?” Sfrog+ stared at him for a moment, before pushing up her glasses and nodding. Ouma glanced around the room.</p><p>“Do you even know which one that is?” Sfrog+ questioned, snorting. Komaeda was still soundly asleep, as usual, Ouma noticed after being roommates with him for a while. Soundly asleep, white hair like a cloud around him, a horrid pale. He seemed sick even in his sleep, his time ticking like a messed-up clock. “It’s that, that...” Sfrog+ continued. Ouma saw that Amami was already awake, most likely going to go talk to Mallory- But that was a lie. Amami was most likely searching the house, curious, curious enough to do it without asking. “What was it again?” Byakuya was gone, a pillow barely erupting from the top, and R remained silent, laying there like a dead rat.</p><p>And Mr.Cat, that strange creature that Sfrog+ told Ouma she got from somebody she couldn’t specify, stared at him with its large, black eyes, misshapen and monster-like. “Oh right. It’s God.”</p><p>“What were you just saying? I was <em> totally </em> listening.” Ouma said, rolling his eyes dramatically and waving his hand at her face. Sfrog+ was young, he remembered, so she must’ve been wanting to wake one of them up- Or maybe that was a lie. Who truly understands the mind of Kokichi Ouma, the supreme leader of lies and lies? Certainly not anyone alive. “Actually, that was a lie. I was too busy staring off into space because of how boring you are. So can you like, not talk, Sfrog+-chaaan?”</p><p>“Dude, you just throttled me with telling words about how you wanted me dead, I think you are the one boring us with words.” Ouma didn’t question why she said “<em> us” </em> , but instead formed a tight line in his mouth, forcing a wide grin to his face. “Anyways, I woke you up because I’m hungry. <em> He </em>told me to go wake someone up before I go because something is waiting for all of us outside this door.” Ouma would laugh at that, if not for the fact that whenever she talked about this, she was serious- Well, most of the time.</p><p>“Alright. Did you take a picture?” Ouma asked, “You better have not have-”</p><p>Sfrog+ tilted her head, snapping a picture of Ouma. “I sent it to Saihara, and don’t worry, you looked like Satan spawn himself.” That sent Ouma shivers down his spines, not because she took a picture of him asleep, but because Ouma knew she had pictures of everyone, doing almost every single thing, and so did R. <em> She sent it to Saihara. She fucking sent it to Saihara </em></p><p>“I’m not Satan! I’m worse than Satan. Ugh, you don’t know me. ” Ouma said, furrowing his brows. He pouted, crossing his arms to seem like a fit. “I need to change into a schoolgirl sailor uniform, wait a sec.” And that wasn’t a lie.</p><p>“Right, did you bring me a Gakuen?” Sfrog+ humored him. “Oh wait- Sorry, I forgot our school doesn’t have any. It’s kinda fun to come to school in a dinosaur costume though, I will have to admit.” Sfrog+ was talking about that one time someone put up a petition for everyone to dress up at school in a dinosaur costume. The teachers were thoroughly shocked.</p><p>Ouma yawns, tired already. He’s weak, and not in the best state he could be, so Ouma doesn’t try to talk anymore, sitting up. Ouma’s not used to waking up like this, he thinks as he changes. Ouma glances at the mirror, and he sees two monsters, staring back across the mirror. And his breathing stops as he turns away and silently opens the door again. “Hey Sfrog+-chan.” That was a whole Four syllables. “S” “Frog” Plus”. But no matter what, she wouldn’t shorten it.</p><p>“Oh, so you weren’t joking.” Sfrog+ breathes, immensely shocked. “Dude, dude, I have to show this to Saihara- Lemme take a picture, uh, give me a pose.” Sfrog+ pulls out her phone, a rice keychain hanging from it, and snaps around ten pictures, ten more, and then ten more after another ten. “I got to send all of these to Saihara-”</p><p>“Oh, don’t worry, my dearly beloved already saw.” Ouma shrugs, putting his hands on his hips. Sfrog+ gapes at him, “That was a lie. Shirogane only saw me in something like this only to make me a whole other one.” That was probably true unless Ouma was lying. </p><p>“Well then, mademoiselle. Let’s go.” Sfrog+ bends down, hand behind her back, and the other reaching out for him. Ouma snorted, slapping it with his fist. She stares at him like he is a murderer before Ouma turns. She has her bag and Mr.Cat, and he has his bag when he grabbed it. The makeshift beds are neatly folded and placed near the corner.</p><p>And then Ouma goes back and stares out the turning hall with doors and cases of dolls, dust neatly hanging from the ceiling lights, dimmed. They walk to wherever they find is safe.</p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 6th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 8:45 AM </em>
</p><p>Komaeda wakes up and finds himself in a white room, he shuts his eyes and sees them, he sees people he doesn’t want to see. They are silent, mouths opening up and down like they can actually talk. Dolls don’t talk. And people that aren’t alive, here, are to remain dolls.</p><p>White hair, sickly pale skin. His mom. Screaming, panic, blood, drowning, Komaeda survives. Jittery brown combed back, a crazy look in his eyes. His dad. Sheltering, protecting, a family, Komaeda survives in the end, a plane with more than one hundred people down in the deep ocean. Komaeda doesn’t deserve to.</p><p>He shuts his eyes and wakes up in his old childhood room, and it feels cold, despite the fact it’s summer, despite the fact that his skin is burning up and he can feel the warmth of the blanket, his bed. And it’s so cold.</p><p>Komaeda glances around. The room is empty, and yet R is still asleep. He doesn’t wake her, because she’ll be mad. She<em> should </em> be mad. The walls seem like they’re falling, everything is spinning. That doesn’t make sense though.</p><p>Komaeda is insane, everyone knows it. He doesn’t understand why they still like him though, he doesn’t understand why… He thinks about that stupid spike-haired reserve course student that is much too friendly and does a small laugh to himself.</p><p>He lightly taps his feet on the ground, going to the bathroom to change. Komaeda reaches it, and he stares into the mirror. There is someone there, and they are smiling at him. They want to help them. Komaeda doesn’t want it.</p><p>Even though it’s the summer, it still feels cold. A moss green jacket he got from a spiky-haired reserve course student, a red rose encrusted into it. Funny, he thinks. All too funny.</p><p>Quietly, he cleans up the mess of pillows and neatly folded sheets. Cleaning is good to learn because then he could help Mallory. Mallory is special to him, despite being an equivalent to a reverse course student, equivalent to something far worse to trash, she was special. Because she wasn’t trying to earn his favor, she could care less about him, Mallory wouldn’t care, Komaeda thinks. She’s a little like Hinata, except Hinata was different somehow.</p><p>Komaeda yawned. <em> I could use some bagels, </em> he thought, grabbing his bag and leaving the room. <em> Before I leave, I should go check mom and dad’s graves. </em> Komaeda breathed in, feeling okay. It was better to feel okay, they said, but it only felt like his lungs were burning and his eyes were tearing up. It was better than feeling like a doll- <em> But, what would Ouma say? That was a lie? </em></p><p>Komaeda laughed, windy and wispy and sounding like he was going to die at any second.</p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 6th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 9:23 AM </em>
</p><p>Something faint touched her cheek, shifting, whispering something into her ear. It was too faded to hear and too loud to not notice. R forced her eyes opened and glared at the silence in the room. It was too quiet. The first person who should have woken up should have been… <em> Byakuya or Amami, or Ouma. They always wake up early so I’ve heard. And the Sfrog+ should get up somewhere around then, Komaeda should have gotten up as well… Uh, or maybe it would be upside down? </em></p><p>There was no one in the room, R noticed, and suddenly the touch left on her cheek felt heavier. </p><p>She quickly rushed to change in the bathroom, trying her best to ignore the creaking from beneath the sink, or how there was a strange shadow in the mirror trying to speak to her. R silently picked up her bag and stuffed her abnormally-shaped bed into the corner, and dashed out the door. Silent. And the hall’s were different. Doll cases, with strange stitches placed in places that made no sense, and the walls started… churning again, sending a jolt down R’s spine whenever out of the corner of her eye she saw a strange movement when any of the paintings moved even the slightest.</p><p>
  <em> Where is everyone? </em>
</p><p>The stairs, long and a little too narrow. That wasn’t good for her heart, beating a little too fast than she wanted. And every step was like she was sinking into something else. Eventually, she made it down all the steps, her feet almost falling down by themselves. </p><p>R decided to walk to where Sfrog+ was most likely, then the others will probably gather unless they all left without her. That’d be sad. And that’s exactly why R thinks that was what they did. She tries to remember which way to go, left, right, turn, up, and then down another staircase- No, that was wrong, it was right, left, left, and then..? Something around that. A large door with a pattern of a flower of some sort, finally, something R recognized.</p><p>The door creaked as she opened it, glancing around silently while something cold touched her cheek again. Something cold, and light, and <em> dead </em> , and she knew. A white room, with two people staring at her with empty eyes, lifeless, cold, and <em> dead </em> . A gasp, but R wasn’t so sure it was her. IT was Komaeda’s parents, smiling ever so pleasantly at her with cold hands, an arm removed like a doll, a socket pulled out and crawling out. A beating heart on the floor, a child’s, barely enough to fill the parent’s size, not to sound gruesome. <em> Bruh. </em></p><p>Suddenly, R felt cold. And even though it was summer, burning heat into them supposedly, it felt so <em> cold </em> for some reason. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her body was freezing up, and when she glanced at the bodies again, frozen smiles plastered on their face, they were gone, sinking into the ground. <em> Bruh, what’s happening- </em></p><p>Water collapsed into the room somehow, and when R turned around, the door was <em> gone. </em> Panicked breaths came out of her while the water rose, rose to her feet, stabbing frigid temperatures into her. <em> What the fucking hell is happening- </em></p><p>R sank into the water, barely being able to breathe while being paralyzed in the water, <em> so so so cold. </em>She tightly shut her eyes, hoping if by chance somebody were to save her, if suddenly the water were to drain, if suddenly- It went dark, and </p><p>
  <em> “Please leave.”  </em>
</p><p>“Are you okay, R?” Somebody asked, sounding slightly worried, slightly anxious, “You were just kind of… standing there for a while.” Mallory, brushing a piece of her black hair out her face and giving R a small smile.</p><p>“Uh-” R stuttered, looking around. A simple glance around, and she knew instantly where she was. The dining hall, with a too-long table just for a family of three, a light chandelier with fake, perhaps real, flowers hung up around it. “Yeah, I’m good. I just had a weird thought.” </p><p>“I know, Mom. Ouma in a sailor school outfit is what Saihara is going to freak over, can’t wait to see his face.” Sfrog+ grinned, pushing in her glasses, “Texting doesn’t seem to work here. I learned that from my friend, just saying.” R pauses for a moment, before gaping at Ouma. Ouma just fluttered his eyes back and tilted his head. </p><p>R wasn’t sure how to feel when she recognized a small initial at the bottom of the skirt. “<em> T.S” </em>, Shirogane must’ve made it for him, as she usually does for her whenever Shirgane and R cosplay together.</p><p>“That’s…” R looked around again, ignoring Ouma as he talked about what he thought school girls talked about, like… apples and how hot keyboards were. The usual things. “Hey, Where are the others?” Mallory folded her arms in front of her, while she went back in the kitchen. Only Ouma and Sfrog+, having an amusing talk about what girls do. An introvert that barely knows how to talk, and a lying liar that lies.</p><p>“I saw Byakuya wake up and Amami wake up around one hour later, and then I decided I was getting bored of-”</p><p>“And they changed in front of her,” Ouma added.</p><p>R widened her eyes, her mouth hanging open. Before Ouma also helpfully added that it was just a joke, just a joke… R would kill both of them and back if they didn’t at least change in the bathroom. “So I woke up Ouma,” Sfrog+ continued, stretching out her fingers back and forth, her hands going up and down. Ouma puts his hands behind his head like this situation is the most casual thing ever. “Komaeda must’ve woken up before. And Mallory is making our food right now.”</p><p>“What is she making?” R asked, raising her eyebrow.</p><p>“I’m not too sure. I asked Ouma earlier this morning if he wanted pancakes or waffles, and he said he wanted to… Let me use my memory for a moment.” She paused, her brain visibly ticking.</p><p>“Whatever she is going to say is a lie.” Ouma exposes in a serious tone, or maybe it’s a lie. “So don’t believe her. As the ultimate supreme leader, that is my word, R-chan!” He stood up, one hand on his hips and the other dramatically placing his fingers on his chest. <em> It is hard to take him seriously </em> , R observed solemnly, <em> with how he was dressed </em>.</p><p>“Ouma told me he loved me and was my friend. For life, and I’m not even kidding, he hugged me and said he wanted to eat grapes, and then said he hated Saihara.” That was… For once, R thinks Ouma has spouted the truth. “And then said he was taller than Ryomi.” Ryomi. Ryomi? Who is- Ryoma. She must’ve mispronounced it.</p><p>“I- You two do you. I have to go find everyone else.” R said, waving her hand. “And stay with Mallory, don’t go alone. Make sure that you help make breakfast as well, and you guys better not use any cursed fruits!” One time during Halloween Sfrog+, as the youngest member at Hope’s Peak, brought fruit that looks truly demonic. She stuffed them full of black chocolate, and blood or something, and they had weird spikes poking out. The worst part of all, it was a pineapple and a tomato, a smiley face drawn on them.</p><p>And Ouma brought more fruits after that, and they became the best of friends- No, Sfrog+ just sent Ouma a video about cursed things when R wouldn’t do it, so he was the second option. They apparently talked deeply about what to put on it, and then they asked Hanumaru to help.</p><p>“Um, I didn’t bring any,” Sfrog+ said quietly.</p><p>Ouma tilted his head innocently, “I don’t know what you're talking about. Oh, but that’s a lie of course. Because it’s a lie in a lie.” R opens the door, ever so slightly. “We’re making pancakes.”</p><p>“Waffles. And bagels” Sfrog+ said after, “We’re making both. Have a good day at work, mom.”</p><p>And then R shuts the door on them, sighing. Komaeda stares at her, shocked when she reaches a corner. His hair is frazzled as always, and he is wearing a jacket, even in the summer. A jacket a popular reserve course student got for him, if she remembers correctly, a rose wrapping around the sleeve like a tight snake.</p><p>“Why, hello there R,” Komaeda said, glancing at his jacket. R can feel herself sweating just by looking at it, so she doesn’t know how Komaeda can wear it like a glove- A rather strange idiom for this. “Good morning. Did you go to the dining hall? Mallory should be in there.” Komaeda brushed something off of his jacket as he said that. He seemed to be in a dim mood today, the way his eyes darkened, the way he seemed to have his eyes down.</p><p>“Morning. Yeah, I did. Did you yet?” R asked. She couldn’t help but notice how she seemed to have gotten warmer, less frigid. “Also, why didn’t you wake me up?” R wasn’t mad, she just wanted to know. It said so in her tone.</p><p>“Ah- I’m sorry… I should have thought of that.” Komaeda apologized, “I was just on my way from checking my parent’s rooms and found Amami there, so he'll be coming down soon. I’ll go look. I’m not sure as hopeful people as Ouma and Sfrog+.”</p><p>“Uh-” She didn’t feel like telling him about Ouma’s outfit. “I’ll go looking for Byakuya.” Komaeda flashed her a smile that sent a shiver down her spine, and something cold blew past them. “Uh… Do you want to go now? I’m just sorta waiting here for you to..”</p><p>“Ah, sorry!” Komaeda said as R passed him, “I’m sorry you had to stop because of some useless trash like me…” R gave him an apologetic smile, telling him to say that.</p><p>And she was back upstairs again.</p><p>There was a small tapping up here, the only sound in this eerily dim, silent hall. Another wind oddly blew here as R took a step forward. Dolls in cases, the pink striped-wallpaper contrasting with the green pictures on the wall. And she could feel someone staring at her, watching, always watching, but never doing anything.</p><p>R tore her eyes away from the strange things on the wall to a door, a wooden white door. And it stares back. “<em> Don’t you want to go in? </em> ” R feels like it would ask if alive. “ <em> Us doors are here for a reason, you know? It doesn’t make sense if you don't open us. </em>”</p><p>“I guess I should,” R muttered to herself only, her hand heading towards the door. The handle of the door was unpleasantly cold, and when she opened the room it was dark, with no windows. “Hello? Is there anyone here?” No response.</p><p>R remembers that Mallory told them that there were other workers here, but the house was quiet, and no one to be found. Was that weird? She heard that some rich people don't want to see the faces of nobles so the nobles have separate halls for the servants and nobles, if that is how Komaeda’s parents worked, but there didn’t seem to be another hall.</p><p>The next room had nothing in it, empty, cold. And so was the next room, and the next room after the fourth room. It was strangely dark, and much too quiet. A clock, ticking slowly to someone’s demise- No, that wasn’t it. Steps, and something warm tapped on her shoulder.</p><p>R gasped, turning her head. Byakuya, wearing a buttoned-up shirt like usual. “<em> You </em>, what are you doing?” Byakuya removed his hand, wiping with a handkerchief he had. </p><p>“I was looking for you. But I must’ve gotten lost… Sorry. I’m not really sure what happened.” R shrugged, looking around. A hall, long and devoid. “This hall looks familiar.” That it was. The walls gurgled at them as Byakuya scoffed, the ceiling lights flickering for a moment.</p><p>“Shut up freak.” Byakuya complained, “And follow me. It’s been ten minutes since I’ve gone down and you don't dare to show up?” No comment.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 6th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 10:39 </em>
</p><p>“Thank you Mallory.” R smiles at her, and Mallory nods back solemnly. “I… Uh- I just want to ask, why is there a maze upstairs?” Mallory didn’t respond, slowly walking towards walking to another room somewhere.</p><p>“Going home after lunch? Well, not to alarm anyone, but I think it’s one-hundred-percent close to lunch.” Sfrog+ said, her arms falling onto the table, her wrists bending. That was seen as rude, apparently, she once told me. As rude as that one time Sfrog+ grabbed a piece of paper and behind that piece of paper was R’s entire homework.</p><p>“Not to alarm anyone, but why did everyone leave me alone?” R asked, tapping into the pancake on her plate, chocolate leaking out. Sfrog+ was an American, so of course, it was either pancakes or waffles, or bagels when she made the choice. It was too big for all of them to finish, but everyone seemed more than glad to try. “At least one of you should’ve.”</p><p>They talk some more, about others, about the trip back, about Komaeda’s parents, about how strange everything that happened. Mallory keeps appearing, asking if Komaeda needs any help. Komaeda rudely so, doesn’t even respond. “Hey Ouma, why did you decide to dress up like that..?” Amami finally asked, and R tilted her head in Ouma's direction. Ouma was stabbing his food to <em> death. </em></p><p>“Oh, that poor pancake.” Sfrog+ gasped dramatically, choking on her own words and having to gulp down water. Her eyes widened and she rested her knee- uh, arm-caps on the table, taking another piece of the pancake, dead, into her mouth. Mallory goes through the room again, holding something close.</p><p>Amami snorted, “Hey- Guys, don’t play with your food, and R! I expected better than you!” It’s almost like they are part of the drama club- Which was partially correct. Everyone at Hope’s Peak was in the drama club, even Makoto Negi, a prime suspect to being a protagonist of their lives.</p><p>“It’s not my fault that whenever I poke it, it spouts out the seeds of the cacao tree that have an intense bitter taste and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted. The shell is removed to-”</p><p>“Did you memorize the chocolate Wikipedia definition?” Komaeda asked, his eyes sparkling. They all knew where this was going, “That’s so hopeful..!” Like a kid admiring a superhero that didn’t have yet to exist, he uneasily swung his feet and looked at her with expecting eyes.</p><p>“Uh, no..? Was I supposed to?” R said, guilty as charged.</p><p>“No.” Komaeda shook his head, “Did you guys get everything? We can eat lunch as we are heading there, like a car eat-out-” Komaeda’s bagel seemed to almost fall, though it didn’t. Of course not, the reason for the fall would'ver been his luck, and Komaeda tells Mallory he's fine.</p><p>“Hey! Pay attention to me again!” Ouma whined, pouting, and R is pretty sure her head is spinning from all these voices. “Anyways, what were you saying Amami-chan?” Amami turned to him, frowning for a moment. Mallory exits the room.</p><p>Amami asked, taking a bite out of his donut “Ah, right, right. Why are you wearing that? Planning on going home like that?” Nobody asked why Amami said home. Must’ve been because his sisters all disappeared, and his parents suddenly started to ignore him. But no one decided to ask.</p><p>“Nope! I’ll change in the middle of the car trip.” Ouma clarified, “But that’s a lie. I have nothing else to change into-” Even though Amami explicitly told him to bring at least three or two sets, “but that’s another lie, of course, Amami-chan!”</p><p>“Before we go… Can we go to one more place?” Komaeda asked, “Sorry, just ignore what I just said. We can go if you want-” Everyone knew how this was going to go. Nobody wanted it to go this way.</p><p>“Shut it, you albino piece of trash,” Byakuya said, his arms crossed. He seemed to hate the thought of eating commoner food, but Byakuya was seemingly enjoying it. “Just tell us where- It’s <em> that place </em> again, isn’t it?” He pushes his glasses in, and R seems to have a small idea of what they are talking about.</p><p>Komaeda smiles at him, “It makes me so happy to hear that such a horrible- Ah, yes it is.” Mallory seems to be coming back and forth less now, or rather, have disappeared into the kitchen.</p><p>“So where did you go at the beginning of this trip?“ Ouma raises an eyebrow, chewing somehow very loudly on his pancake, his waffle strangely disappeared as well. He paused for a moment, furrowing his brows. “Did you somehow take Bykowo-chwan to an alien spaceship? Oh my god, how dare you not bring me!” That seemed like a complaint, but one could argue it was just Kokichi Ouma being Kokichi Ouma.</p><p>“I brought him to my parent's grave.” Komaeda lightly laughs, like it’s the easiest thing to say, no weight held in those words. Everyone could laugh along, like great friends that met each other a few months ago. But they don’t. R feels like apologizing for some reason, but that just sounds stupid. They all knew his parents were dead because of a plane crash Komaeda says he started unluckily. Komaeda laughs some more, and in the corner of her eye she sees Sfrog+ suppress a laugh, and Ouma smiles like everything is a joke. Byakuya just sighs, as if disappointed by something that R can’t quite figure out.</p><p>Amami starts to speak, “We can do that. And this time, let me drive back.” The law here was the same where R lived, where they could drive at 18 years old, but these fellows don’t seem to care. <em> We’re all going to get arrested one day. </em> R thinks blandly.</p><p>Komaeda gives him a smile, and R swears that this one is different- more genuine. </p><p>Very slowly, they finish the handful of food Mallory gave them, and they start grabbing the few heavy bags they brought, Mr.Cat, who has been watching them the entire time, and they stare at the house from the inside for one last time. It’s oddly quiet, and there is someone watching them as they left, brushing a strand of black hair out of her face with a stiff smile and a wave, her other hand holding something that she gives to Komaeda quietly.</p><p>“Bye,” Her voice is smaller than a whisper, but they can all hear her, alone in this house, no other staff to be found despite what she told them, and for a moment R wonders if she ever gets lonely here, where the walls gurgle and eyes watch her every step. But she quickly swats that thought as Mallory turns around after giving Komaeda lunch she prepared while they were eating, saying goodbye one last finale time, going back to her home. “Master Komaeda, you truly are great.” It’s praise, and praise Komaeda hates. Komaeda doesn’t answer back, and something is almost sad about the way they say goodbye.</p><p>The doors open, and a bright light shines in. The sunlight spilling on their skin instantly makes Ouma scream, saying something about how he’s allergic to the sun, how he has grown red and black wire-like wings and has sharp fangs, which makes Sfrog+ go on a huge rant about vampires and Ouma says he wants to punch her. He doesn’t. Amami goes to say something about which direction they should go to find the graves, and Byakuya glares at him like he’s the most idiotic person alive. Komaeda explains that his feet just naturally bring him there, and R feels like arguing that.</p><p>The graves, grown in grass and a well-taken flower bed around them, the bodies never being able to go inside as they were long lost at the bottom of the ocean. It’s a happy mood though, light-hearted, as Ouma finds a flower that looks awfully like President Trump, the United States President. And R argues that it looks more like Joseph Stalin. Byakuya tells everyone they’re insane and starts going back to the car by himself. Komaeda rushes to try and beg him to wait a moment, and Byakuya does.</p><p>Komaeda stares at the graves of his parents for a moment, a strange look on his face fading in. He clenches to his jacket and turns around, a wide smile on his face. “I wished good luck to them.” Ironic, R thinks, while everyone laughs at that. She joins, not because she gets it, but because she would feel stupid if she didn’t get it.</p><p>“Oh, holy fuck- I have to upload on that daily fic I do.” Sfrog+ states, widening her eyes and almost tripping over her own feet as they touched the grass. “And then I had that other thing I wanted to do… Ugh, and now I have to feed the cat Tanaka has been taking care of.”</p><p>“Wait, what?” R asked, raising both her eyebrows at coincidental speeds, breaking records of every-brow raising. Sfrog+ groans. “Tanaka has a pet cat now, and why did he ask you to take care of it? And when? Why? What?”</p><p>“Sfrog+ declared to that dirty wrench with the eight-grade syndrome that she wanted to take care of something she couldn’t even take care of when she returns,” Byakuya explains like he’s disgusted by his friend, pushing his glasses at the flowers.</p><p>“Let’s go to the car now! I’m getting bored.” Ouma whined, “And I don’t know why she wants to do that to Mr.Cat, betray him cold-blooded!” He gasped, almost falling down before Komaeda caught him, apologizing for trying to help Ouma.</p><p>“Let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 6th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 12:34 AM </em>
</p><p>They’re all crowded in the car, a van that Amami somehow got his hands on, perhaps renting but no one is sure with such a mysterious guy, and Sfrog+ and R annoyingly have had two conversations in English which only Byakuya really had a grasp on this language. Ouma decides that instead of sitting with Komaeda in the back, he sits right in between them while still wearing that outfit that R can’t take seriously. Amami drives back, actually using a map unlike what Komaeda just drove with no experience and said his luck could help. <em> And it worked last time </em> . But Amami didn’t want any risks, so he and Byakuya sat in the front, Komaeda sitting alone in the back doing whatever- Sleeping, <em> he was sleeping in the back </em>. And R, Ouma, and Sfrog+ sat next to each other in the middle, talking about the usual: Peanut butter apple sauce is better than mint hot dogs with chocolate.</p><p>“Your mansion-” R started, turning around to stare at Komaeda, who was drowsily rubbing his eyes while Sfrog+ snapped a quick picture, rudely interrupted by the one and only esteemed Togami Byakuya. </p><p>“House,” He corrected, crossing his legs and staring out the front window.</p><p>“You mansion,” R totally corrected, not saying the same thing, “Didn’t anyone else get a strange vibe from it? That one long hall wasn’t there when I woke up, and for some reason when I entered the dining room I was in a white room…”</p><p>“A white room,” Sfrog+ said a small smile on her face like she found it funny. “I’m sorry, it’s just something about that makes it funny. Ouma and I also went into a white room when we went into the dining room. It was sorta small, sorta big.”</p><p>“That wasn’t the pint. And in that room, there were two dolls that looked exactly like Komaeda’s parents. It was so creepy.” R said, “The water started filling up with water and it kept on getting darker.”</p><p>“What are you talking about? You were standing up, or perhaps down when you entered the dining hall.” Ouma argued, “Ah- But that was obviously a lie. U-Unless y-you idiots do-don’t know me..!” Ouma widened his eyes, fear creeping in, “Where am I? W-Who am I?-”</p><p>“You’re a rat.” Byakuya clarified for him, “A dirty, ragged rat that I wouldn’t hesitate to throw out the window.” Ouma’s mouth formed into a tight line for a moment, before grinning.</p><p>“You wouldn’t dare!~ After all, you are my subordinate.” Ouma said back, “Hurry, Sfrog+-chan, protect me!” As much as those two were friends, Sfrog+ wouldn’t stand up to Byakuya for Ouma, so she just jokingly shoved Ouma R’s direction.</p><p>“Can you four quiet down?” Amami asked in more of a command, and then R realized he was including her in that. <em> Hey! I plead the fifth. </em> “And yeah, there was something weird about that place. When I was going into each room, I felt like someone was watching me.”</p><p>“I know, right!?” R agreed, “And that mirror in Komaeda’s room had some shadowy thing crap.” Sfrog+ whispered something to the person to her right, where there was nobody but air. </p><p>“I saw my sister.” Amami hummed.</p><p>Sfrog+ sighed, leaning next to Ouma, who only sat up in the moving vehicle, going back to Komaeda. She just got rejected harshly, and now she had no pillow. “I saw those disgusting flocking birds,” Byakuya added helpfully, which R wasn’t too sure what that meant.</p><p>“I saw two monsters!” Ouma piped up, “That’s a lie though because there was only me, so there is no way there could be a monster twice. Maybe all of us are on drugs that Amami scattered around in the room before we went to sleep?” <em> Oh right, I forgot Amami brought cat-nip with him. </em>R thought sarcastically.</p><p>“For the last time, I haven't done drugs,” Amami told Ouma, who only shrugged in response, even though nobody was looking at him.</p><p>“That leaves the possibility you<em> will, </em>” Sfrog+ said.</p><p>“What did you see in the mirror, Sfrog+, and Komaeda?” R asked them, too tired to want to hear their antics. It was already lunchtime and yet they were screaming about drugs in a rented, perhaps not rented van with Komaeda inside and Byakuya watching as a witness.</p><p>“Oh, I don’t like to look at mirrors. Whenever I look at them it just reminds me of something.” Sfrog+ explained, swatting her hand at herself like she was burning up. “And plus, I’ve watched too many horror games to know that if you look at the mirror, something bad will happen.”</p><p>“I saw nobody.” Komaeda smiled.</p><p>“Neat, neat. Nobody cares,” Ouma says coldly, and Komaeda apologizes, “can we eat now? I’m super, duper hungry!”</p><p>“We just ate like, one hour ago. We’re not eating until Amami’s ready, or someone else.” Sfrog+ told him, raising her finger and moving it back and forth at him. R feels like Ouma wants to try and bite it, but doesn’t do anything. “Just because you want to have the sushi, does mean-”</p><p>“Sushi.” R repeats. “Okay.”</p><p>“So when should we go on our next field trip?”Amami asked, eyes still watching the road as he took a turn somewhere on the dirt, trees surrounding them. “Class? Perhaps the jungle would be fun-”</p><p>“No no no non on, we’re not going somewhere again this summer.” R said, shaking her head. Sfrog+ nods with R and everyone does seem to agree, even though Amami seems disappointed. “Don’t you guys just want to hang out with everyone? I know that I’d rather do that since my parents and sister are coming to visit me somewhere this month.”</p><p>“I hope I get to try more Japanese sweets.” Sfrog+ adds, “And make friends with a cat. Mr.Cat would be more than happy to see another cat other than my own… My cats, I should go back to the United States at least once to see them…”</p><p>“I bet your parents want to see pictures of your friends.” Komaeda smiles at her. “And you too, R. I hope you show her a good picture of everyone.”</p><p>“I’ll send them a picture of Ouma,” Sfrog+ smirks, looking a little bittersweet. “And- Oh! Everyone should dress up as schoolgirls at least once! Like, everyone. But it’s not the school uniform, it’s a literal school girl uniform.”</p><p>“You’ll make Shirogane suffer.” Byakuya says, “Don’t include me. I don’t want to be with you disgusting wrenches.” Wrenches? <em> That’s a new one </em>. Byakuya has gone insane, she guesses, and shrugs, turning to Amami.</p><p>“Let’s do that after my parents come. I already have a statue of Byakuya and now I don’t want them thinking I do this to my male friends.” R said, cringing as Byakuya threw her a disapproving look. It was worth it to see everyone else just light up.</p><p>“We should make an anime girl team.” Ouma says, for some reason excited, “Oooh~ I’ll be Siren Head. My hobbies are killing people, singing, and dancing to the ground.” Ouma then proceeded to hum, in that annoying voice of his. “And I hate humming, and lying! Liars deserve to be hung by the cross and cut up into small pieces!”</p><p>Komaeda tilted his head, only to add, “I’ll be… Kalfu, the demon at the crossroads. The demon that causes misfortune.” R swears he’s looked that up before. “If you’ll allow me to play. My hobbies are cleaning and eating.”</p><p>“Let’s add to this otome game then. I’ll be the ghost girl. And if you talk to me you die. Hello, I’m Maki Harukawa, if you dare speak I’ll slit your throat- Actually, no. I want to be<em> D̵̸̢҉ </em> <strike> Ȩ̵͘͢҉ </strike> <span class="u"> A̡̕͢҉̷ <b>T̶̵̸̷͟</b> </span> <span class="u">H̸̵̡</span>. My hobbies are Ą̶ ̶̧͟t̛͘͡҉<span class="u">o͜͝͏͝ ̵̴̨͏ţ̨͡h̶̢̡̧e̴͏̷͡</span> ̷̶̡͢B͏̷ <b>̵҉t̵̷ǫ̷̷</b> <b> <em> ̛t̴̢̧</em> </b> <em> h̶̷̡̢e͞<strike> ̷̡̕͞p͏͞</strike> </em> <strike> o̢ w͏͡͏̕ <em> e̸̸̡̛<strong>r҉̴͢͢͡</strong> </em> </strike> <strike><strong> ͟o̶</strong>f͟͜ ͝͏̡̛E̷̶̛̛</strike>.” Sfrog+ smiled, somehow excited to play. “And I am the furry in the anime team.” That was clearly unneeded.</p><p>“I’ll be applesauce, murdered by a dog eating me and come back to life 1,000 years from now. But death has yet to stop us!” A tear-jerking story made by R and everyone cheered at that. Amami yelled at them to stop shouting.</p><p> </p><p> </p><h3>
  <em> July 7th, Saturday </em>
</h3><p>
  <em> 0:69 PM 4:20 PM </em>
</p><p>“Hello, Mrs. and Mr. Keyboard!” Sfrog+ recited, to nobody in particular. Mr.Cat sat across to her on the table, and Ouma poked at the strange creature staring at all of them with big, wide eyes like it knew something they didn’t see. It twisted and turned at too many wrong spots, almost demonic as it shifted by itself somehow. <em> A gift, given by someone that must have really hated her. </em></p><p>Amami chuckled as Saihara tripped over his words, unsure whether he should say something or not. “Uh- I..? I’m, What is that? And why is Sfrog+ reciting something to <em> it </em>?” Oh right. Somehow, Ouma managed to bring even more people over to R’s and Sfrog+’s apartment, which wasn’t doing them much good. The usual people, Byakuya complaining that this place was too stuffy and was going to go hang by the balcony, Komaeda trying to do extra things that he really didn’t need to do, Ouma being… himself, and Amami looking at maps that he brought over. Four other people Ouma somehow managed to bring over, Saihara confused about everything, Hinata not caring too deeply when he hung around the second year students, after all, Nanami searching through Sfrog+’s pile of games, like “Blood Bath,” or “ABC’s for preschoolers!” with a sleepy look on her face, and Makoto who went out to the balcony as well to go do something.</p><p>“I’ll go make tea.” Komaeda piped up, “If you’ll let me, I mean.” He didn’t ask which teas they had, which made R seem to notice how tense he seemed to be this time. He disappeared to the kitchen, a wall between them and him.</p><p>“Tea is disgusting,” Ouma said as a statement, and Sfrog+ put her arms up at him, glaring angrily. R had no comment to say about that as Ouma continued with a grin, “That’s a lie!~ Oh- Did my beloved say something about Mr.Cat? Does he not like Mr.Cat?”</p><p>“That’s not physically possible. Mr.Cat is great.” Sfrog+ stated as a sentence. </p><p>“N-No! I just… What <em> is </em> Mr.Cat?” The detective asks, putting his hand on his chin and his eyes gleamed yellow, going a little forward and behind in front of Mr.Cat. R felt like saying something, so she started by:</p><p>“Mr.Cat is Mr.Cat. I don’t know what you're talking about, Saihara. Are you okay?” R asked, tilting her head. She sat next to Sfrog+, so she could see her nod, making a purely confused face at Saihara, who seemed unsure what else to say. He glanced at Amami.</p><p>“It’s true. I’ve grown rather fond of Mr.Cat in the past two days I’ve met Mr.Cat.” Amami nods, playing along with the children. “Saihara, did you ever get those pictures Sfrog+ sent you?” Ah, right. Yesterday Sfrog+ took some pictures of Ouma and totally forgot to send them to Saihara, and when they arrived they were too tired to greet everyone still here during summer break.</p><p>Saihara glanced at Sfrog+, only to shake his head. “What?” R could see that if Ouma was a cat, his ears would’ve perked up around now.</p><p>R glanced at Hinata, staying respectively quiet during all of this while Saihara’s face turned a popping pink, pushing the cap on his head lower as Sfrog+ struggled to hold back a laugh, Ouma basically purring at all of this. It’s official, they broke the two sane people in the room.</p><p>Talking about sane people, Nanami seemed about done searching through the games in Sfrog+’s room, sitting right at the corner of the room. “...Hi Nanami.” Saihara waved, his voice faltering in the room. “Did you get to see Mr.Cat yet?” Mr.Cat sat on the table, eyes staring up at Nanami as she stared back.</p><p>“It’s… very pretty.” Nanami said carefully, “Hinata, where did Komaeda go?” Hinata looks over, a slightly unsure look on his face. “Were you not paying attention? Aren’t you his-”</p><p>“I know where he went, to the kitchen to make tea, I’m just… thinking. Mr.Cat looks familiar to me, did you get it from someone close to here?” Hinata said, his green eyes intensely staring at the cat, “not to alarm anyone, but…”</p><p>“I got Mr.Cat from <em> him </em>, why?” Sfrog+ asked, while Saihara almost stumbled to go check on Komaeda, but they all knew that he just wanted to leave and go somewhere else.</p><p>“Huh.” Hinata smiled, “That’s interesting.” Hinata couldn’t know about <em> him </em>  when <em> he </em>didn’t even seem to exist. R was pretty sure that they were rubbing off on the poor reserve course student.</p><p>“Can we stop talking about Mr.Cat?” Ouma whined, “Nanami-chan, why are in the corner? Are you trying to contact the police on us? You wouldn’t dare.” Ouma stood up, leaning over to see what she was looking at. “That’s so boooring, Nanami-chan. You were only looking at an otome game.” That’s interesting, as Nanami was horrible at those.</p><p>“I’m currently trying to earn Mallory’s love.” She said, and a bell went off in everyone’s head. “She’s one of those weird characters like Komaeda, but she’s even worse. I’m going to sleep, night everyone.”</p><p>“Don’t sleep here.” R told her, “We need- Can everyone just leave? It’s really late and Sfrog+ has Mr.Cat out, which I think means it’s time to sleep for Mr.Cat.” None of them did what she said. They talked some more about whatever they wanted to, Komaeda coming back and giving everyone tea, Hinata forcing him to sit down because he was moving around way too much. And eventually, the two third-year students came back in. And slowly they landed on the topic of going on a huge trip together, where Saihara wanted to invite Momota and Harukawa and Akamatsu, which Ouma pouted to him to think about others. Of course Nanami and Komaeda, surprisingly Hinata as well, even though he wasn’t part of that class, wanted to invite everyone in their class, and Rantaro argued who would pay for that. Makoto seemed to want to invite everyone in his class as well, still somehow shorter than R as she gaped at him. They settled that there would be way too many people and that they could all just hang out at school, no weird mansions with gurgling walls or Mr.Cats involved.</p><p>That sounded like a good plan.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, here is my half-ass representation theory to this 20,000-word fic:</p><blockquote>
  <p><span>I wanted this to be around Horror, so I chose the theme “Safety and Illusion.” The illusion that the characters, even Komaeda is safe in his own childhood house, and how the past will never fade. Komaeda in this story is still hanging onto his parent’s, and wishing just a tiny bit they were still alive, which is why he picked the childhood house he lived in, hoping that perhaps his parents are alive. It says somewhere Komaeda drove them there, so in a way, he wants them to see, which is kinda like a way for him to say he doesn’t want Hinata to know, which a thing was implied there. At the beginning of the story, Komaeda goes to his parent’s graves, even though the bodies were never found as the canon tells us they drowned in the sea, bringing Byakuya with him. That is why at the end of the part where everyone goes to sleep, it says Byakuya knows. This childhood house is sort of like a magic fake place created by himself, and Mallory is imaginary, meant to be a figment of how Komaeda views his luck, useful, and always there. The fact he wants to go to the cellar means he wants to go deeper and stay longer, though that’s little of a stretch. That long hall where Sfrog+ and R finds themselves in, where something is watching them, is sort of like how Komaeda has gone through a lot, and how there was no one to help him, only watch him, which made his path very distorted, the pink striped wallpaper being who he was to other people- Or forced himself to be, which is why the wallpaper is crumbling (Pink means to be generous and helpful to others, for them to see you as sort of that one helpful person).</span> <span>In the normal path, there is described to be dolls that were broken, so like… childhood dreams that he had, and how they all sort of crumbled. And then the room, where Komaeda slept in most of his childhood, is meant to represent safety, and how he should be safe there even though he doesn’t feel it, especially how there was no one there for him. The person that showed up is meant to be a parent figure, at night and the thonking and bonking (The taps everywhere) is meant to suggest how people are always there, trying to come into his safe place and kill him, or in some wild sense… Like how only the parent is allowed to come in. The tapping beneath the sink represents how stressed Komaeda felt about that water bro, and how he was still hung up on that, the shadow in the mirror different to every person. Komaeda saw someone that wanted to help him, Amami saw somebody he wanted to see again, Ouma saw himself and a monster, Sfrog+ didn’t want to look in the mirror, and R saw a shadow. Those are meant to represent their stability and how they react to it, I don’t really know when I was writing this lol. Komaeda has a dream where he is in a white room and his parents are there. He shuts his eyes after I described how they died in that plane crash (Komaeda’s parents died in a plane crash) because he doesn’t want to believe it, the fact he’s cold is meant to mean how cold he felt when he was close to drowning. And the fact R somehow got in the dream and watched it happen, kinda like a replacement for Komaeda in it, and she gets the first-handed experience because she has a fear of water and the dark I guess, and just because. The voice tells her to leave because none of them are meant to be here, in the house because it’s Komaeda’s thing thingy thing thing majig where magic happened and he led them there by his luck, so it’s basically Komaeda’s subconscious mind telling her, ”</span><em><span>Fuck I don’t want you here</span></em><span>”. The cold touches on R’s cheek is basically the parent figure from earlier, still there and watching her, trying to protect her from seeing what is actually happening, which leads her to that white room, where the house is saying back to the parent figure that doesn’t exist that nobody can avoid the truth. During the breakfast scene, Mallory keeps coming and exiting the room, slowly stopping less and always rushing to do something for some reason, and Komaeda doesn’t respond, represents how his luck keeps on leaving back and forth, and how it has stopped less lately, and how Komaeda seems to have slowly been growing over his luck. Komaeda visits his parents’ grave at the end for his conscience just to make sure, and that he should slowly be getting over it already. Damn I know that this representation thing makes literally no sense, but that’s because I pulled all of it out my ass. Sorry.</span></p>
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